Using Puppet Theater to encourage preschool children to eat more fruits and vegetables

The influence of Audiovisual stimuli on children’s eating habits

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

REBEC

Registry ID

RBR-94bknr7

Enrollment

Registered

2026-05-07

Start date

2018-03-12

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-06-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

Interventions

This is a quantitative, cross-sectional study conducted in a school setting. The intervention was based on the premise that early childhood represents a critical period for the development of eating h

Eligibility

Age

2 Years to 6 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: The study included children aged 2 to 6 years; of pre-school age; of both sexes; with the requirement that their legal guardians sign a consent form authorising the child’s participation in the study

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Children outside the 2–6 age group; and where participation was not authorised by the child’s legal guardians

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Expected outcome 1: The primary outcome of the study was food acceptance among preschool children. Specifically, we evaluated whether individual or collective exposure, with or without puppet theater stimulation, influenced the acceptance of foods previously rejected by the children. Food acceptance was measured using leftover intake, allowing comparison between the four experimental groups: isolated control (ICG), collective control (CCG), individually puppet stimulated (IPSG), and collectively puppet stimulated (CPSG). ;Outcome found 1: For papaya, no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed in mean plate waste among the four groups. In contrast, for beetroot, only the CPSG group showed a significantly lower mean plate waste (p < 0.05) compared to the other groups. No statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were found among the remaining groups for this variable.	—

Measure

Time frame

Expected outcome 1: The primary outcome of the study was food acceptance among preschool children. Specifically, we evaluated whether individual or collective exposure, with or without puppet theater stimulation, influenced the acceptance of foods previously rejected by the children. Food acceptance was measured using leftover intake, allowing comparison between the four experimental groups: isolated control (ICG), collective control (CCG), individually puppet stimulated (IPSG), and collectively puppet stimulated (CPSG). ;Outcome found 1: For papaya, no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed in mean plate waste among the four groups. In contrast, for beetroot, only the CPSG group showed a significantly lower mean plate waste (p < 0.05) compared to the other groups. No statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were found among the remaining groups for this variable.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
No secondary outcomes were expected.	—

Countries

Contacts

Public ContactSabrina Carvalho Bastos

Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA)

sabrinabastos@ufla.br+55 35 998901918

Outcome results

None listed

Source: REBEC (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Jun 11, 2026