Increasing Food Literacy in Preschoolers to Reduce Obesity Risk

Repeatedly exposing young children to new foods can increase their willingness to try those foods, and they may - with time - learn to like those foods. Being able to learn about, touch and taste new foods can be a powerful tool to foster young children's liking of new foods. This project's goals are to test whether a preschool nutrition education program can improve (1) children's ability to name and identify fruits and vegetables, (2) children's knowledge about food and nutrition, (3) children's healthful food choices during a meal, and (4) parenting around children's eating. Participants will include 450 children ages 3 to 5 years in center-based childcare programs serving a large majority of families experiencing poverty in Pennsylvania. In all classrooms, children will receive food literacy lessons designed to help them learn about different fruits and vegetables, where they grow, and why they are good for our bodies. Children in intervention classrooms will receive food literacy lessons, in addition to lessons on healthy eating designed to improve children's nutrition knowledge. Teachers in intervention classrooms will be provided with materials designed to increase children's knowledge about nutrition and healthy eating. Intervention parents will receive web-based lessons designed to improve parenting practices related to children's eating behaviors. The study will be conducted over a 14-month period, and a variety of child, teacher, classroom and parent outcomes will be measured before, during and after the intervention. The results of this study are anticipated to add new information on ways to improve children's nutrition knowledge and acceptance of fruits and vegetables.