Effectiveness of Taste Lessons with and without additional experiential learning activities on children’s willingness to taste vegetables

• Published in: Appetite 2017-02, Vol.109, p.201-208
• Main Authors: Battjes-Fries, Marieke C.E., Haveman-Nies, Annemien, Zeinstra, Gertrude G., van Dongen, Ellen J.I., Meester, Hante J., van den Top-Pullen, Rinelle, van’t Veer, Pieter, de Graaf, Kees
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Effect evaluation; Experiential learning; Food neophobia; Nutrition education; Vegetable consumption; Willingness to taste
• ISSN: 0195-6663; 1095-8304
• DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2016.05.020

This study assessed the effectiveness of the Dutch school programme Taste Lessons with and without additional experiential learning activities on children’s willingness to taste unfamiliar vegetables. Thirty-three primary schools (877 children in grades 6–7 with a mean age of 10.3 years) participated in Taste Lessons Vegetable Menu (TLVM, lessons and extra activities), Taste Lessons (TL, lessons), or a control group. A baseline and follow-up measurement was used to assess for each child: number of four familiar and four unfamiliar vegetables tasted, quantity tasted, choice of vegetable of which to eat more, and number of vegetables willing to taste again later. Furthermore, children filled out a questionnaire on daily vegetable intake and food neophobia. Multilevel and Cox regression analyses were conducted to compare changes in the outcome measures between the three study groups. No significant intervention effects were found on willingness to taste unfamiliar vegetables. Neither were effects found on familiar vegetables, except for number of familiar vegetables tasted (p