Dietary Intake
Conditions
Keywords
vegetables, potatoes, preschool, Head Start
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to examine whether incorporating potatoes into meals-either paired with other vegetables or served as a first course-can improve preschoolers' vegetable intake, reduce excess energy intake, and improve overall diet quality. Findings will be used to inform whether potatoes, a well-liked and commonly consumed vegetable, could be leveraged in several ways to improve the overall diet quality of children.
Detailed description
The overall object of this study is to test potato-based strategies to improve diet quality in preschool age children. The specific aims are: Aim 1: Determine if pairing potatoes with other less-preferred vegetables increases liking and intake of the non-potato vegetables. Aim 2: Determine if potato-based dishes can be used strategically to reduce intake of more energy-dense entrees. The effect of potato-based dishes on vegetable intake and total energy intake will be tested across four lunch-time sessions in preschool classrooms. Each lunch session will be randomly assigned to one of the potato dish conditions.
Interventions
OTHERPotato + vegetable
A mixed dish of potatoes and other vegetables will be served at lunch
OTHERPotato appetizer
A potato dish will be served as an appetizer at lunch prior to the main course
OTHERPotato and vegetable separate
A potato dish and a vegetable dish will be served separately at lunch
OTHERNo potato
No potato dish will be served at lunch
Sponsors
Penn State University
Alliance for Potato Research and Education
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Masking description
The intervention consists of different combinations of potatoes and vegetables, and data collection includes food intake, and thus masking is not possible for participants or investigators.
Intervention model description
Participants will complete four conditions in a randomized order.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
2 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Child: * Enrolled in participating Head Start classroom * Age 2-6 years old Parent: * Parent/guardian of a participating child * Age 18 years or older * Able to read and answer questions in English Teacher: * Teacher/teaching staff member of a participating Head State classroom * Age 18 years or older * Able to read and answer questions in English
Exclusion criteria
Child: * Allergy to potatoes * Children who are not able to understand and answer questions in English may participate in all parts of the study except for the taste test ratings, which require the child to communicate with the research assistant Parent: \- Child not enrolled in the study Teacher
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Intake of target vegetable at lunch | At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks | Intake of the non-potato target vegetable will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dish prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating |
| Entree intake at lunch | At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks | Intake of an energy-dense entree (macaroni and cheese) will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dish prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating |
| Liking of vegetable + potato dishes | Once at start of study | Children will be presented with small samples of several vegetable, potato, and vegetable + potato dishes and asked to taste them. Children will rate each food as 'yummy', 'just ok', or 'yucky' using a pictorial scale. We will compare the percentage of children who rate the vegetable with potato (VEG+POT) dishes as yummy to the percentage that rated the same non-potato vegetable alone (VEG) as 'yummy'. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Willingness to taste vegetable + potato dishes | Once at beginning of study | Children will be presented with small samples of several vegetable, potato, and vegetable + potato dishes and asked to taste them. Children will rate each food as 'yummy', 'just ok', or 'yucky' using a pictorial scale. We will compare the percentage of children who were willing to taste the vegetable with potato (VEG+POT) dishes to the percentage that were willing to taste the same non-potato vegetable alone (VEG). |
| Intake of potatoes at lunch | At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks | Intake of the potato dish will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dish prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating |
| Total vegetable intake at lunch | At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks | Total intake of potato and non-potato vegetables will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dishes prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating |
| Total energy intake at lunch | At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks | Total energy intake in kcal will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dishes prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOREmily E Hohman, PhD
Penn State University
Outcome results
None listed