Increasing children’s vegetable acceptance and consumption

Children will be repeatedly exposed to a small amount of vegetables in the home environment. Two intervention conditions are tested: 1) single target vegetable, and 2) multiple target vegetable. Trial staff will tell parents what vegetables to use. Both interventions will be conducted over a 5 week period, with exposure three times a week, providing a total of 15 exposure days. Exposure to vegetables means that the parent will present a small piece of vegetable to the child, and encourages their child to taste the vegetable. The vegetable will be presented at a time when the child is hungry (before a snack or dinner) which remains constant throughout the intervention. Children in the single vegetable exposure group will be exposed to the same (single) vegetable every time. Children in the multiple vegetable exposure group will be presented three vegetables in total, in a rotating schedule (provided by trial staff) whereby the child receives 2 of the 3 vegetables on every exposure day. The parent will deliver the intervention to the child, and they will receive the information on how to do this in a booklet, which will be explained by a trial staff member in a face to face session (approximate duration 15-20 min) with the parent also. The intervention information will include practical advice on how and when to prepare and present the vegetables for their child to eat, and information how they can effectively address negative reactions from their child when tasting vegetables. This information includes a flowchart with suggestions how to respond to a child who refuses to taste (specifically by 1) modelling tasting the vegetable, and 2) cut the vegetable in smaller pieces, and 3) stop after that). A follow up phone call (estimated duration 15 min) will be made to parents mid trial to discuss any queries they may have, and parents will also be provided with a phone number they can ring if they have questions or concerns. Parents will use a diary to record the outcome of every exposure day (i.e. child consumed vegetable wholly/partially/refused etc..). Stickers are provided as a small reward to the child for tasting the vegetable.