Abstract
Eating behaviors formed during early childhood tend to persist through adulthood. Thus, successful interventions targeting young children may be an effective way of supporting healthy eating behaviors throughout life. This age group, however, presents multiple challenges, including strong innate taste preferences for sweetness and aversions to sour and bitter flavors. Furthermore, young children frequently exhibit food neophobia, which is the reluctance to try unfamiliar foods. Food neophobia and innate preferences often limit children’s appetite for healthy foods, variety in the diet, and particularly the consumption of vegetables. The study reports on a project developed among 0-3 years old children and their caregivers, using sensory-based food education to expose children to healthy foods by allowing them to interact with and explore foods through activities using their five senses. Songs, games, stories, and other creative activities made sensory-based food education fun and engaging. Preliminary dietary experiences of the intervention in using sensory food education to encourage healthy eating in preschool children is presented. The ongoing research evaluates if these multi-sensory interactions with foods could increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables among young children in marginal communities in Rosario, Argentina.
Presenters
Monica Stanton KokoAssistant Professor, Health Education, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY, New York, United States Silvia Del Cerro
Nutritionist, Secretaría de Salud Pública, Municipalidad de Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Sensory-Based Food Education, Healthy Dietary Behaviors, Pre-Schoolers
