Reach Out and Eat: Food and Beverages Depicted in Books for Preschoolers

Objective. To examine food and beverage depictions in books for preschoolers. Methods. Books for preschoolers from Reach Out and Read (ROR; n = 42), public library (n = 27), and Publisher’s Weekly booklists (n = 31) were examined for nutritive and empty-calorie food and beverage depictions. Results....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical pediatrics 2015-11, Vol.54 (13), p.1257-1264
Main Authors: England, Jessica L., Linchey, Jennifer, Madsen, Kristine A., Patel, Anisha I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beverages
Beverages - statistics & numerical data
Child, Preschool
Childrens picture books
Food
Food - statistics & numerical data
Health Promotion
Humans
Nutritive Value
Preschool children
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Summary:Objective. To examine food and beverage depictions in books for preschoolers. Methods. Books for preschoolers from Reach Out and Read (ROR; n = 42), public library (n = 27), and Publisher’s Weekly booklists (n = 31) were examined for nutritive and empty-calorie food and beverage depictions. Results. It was found that 66% of books depicted at least 1 food or beverage. More books depicted nutritive items than empty-calorie items (87.5% vs 54.7%, P < .001). There was a trend toward fewer empty-calorie depictions in ROR books than in other booklists. Yet nearly half of ROR books depicted at least 1 empty-calorie item. ROR books also accounted for 5 of 10 books with the most empty-calorie item depictions and 3 of 4 books with branding. With regard to messaging, approximately a third of books with the most empty-calorie depictions promoted unhealthy foods. Conclusions. When selecting books for ROR, it may be important to consider food and beverage depictions and messages.
ISSN:0009-9228
1938-2707
DOI:10.1177/0009922815574078