P112 Can Food-Based Learning Activities Improve Head Start Preschool Children's Vegetable Intake?

Abstract

Background Low vegetable consumption is often observed among low-resource families who are also at risk for overweight/obesity. Repeated exposure to vegetables in the preschool setting has been shown to increase vegetable intake and decrease neophobia among children. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of hands-on, food-based learning activities on Head Start (HS) children's (aged 3-5) vegetable intake as measured by skin carotenoid levels (reflection spectroscopy (RSL)). Study Design, Settings, Participants Eleven HS classrooms located in Eastern North Carolina participated in this quasi-experimental study. Intervention children were exposed to seven hands-on food-based activities (Oct-Jan) designed to expose them to 10 target vegetables high in beta-carotene. The sample included 87 HS children (Intervention (I) = 33; Control (C) = 49). Children were 58.5% male, Black (81.7%), and 3.80 (SD = .61) years. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Researchers collected demographics and RSL data from at baseline and post-intervention. Descriptives and multiple linear regression were used to analyze data. Dependent variable = change in RSL levels; independent variables = gender, age, baseline BMI, and intervention versus control. Results No significant differences were observed between groups at baseline. No significant changes in RSL were observed between groups at post-intervention. RSL in both groups declined (I = 3.54%; C = 12.73%) with a smaller decline observed in the intervention group. Results revealed that only age (F(4,81) = 1.83; Adjusted R2 = .05; 3 years P = .02; 4 years P = .04) was predictive of change in RSL levels. Larger changes in skin carotenoids were observed among 5-year-olds. Conclusion Food-based learning approaches that increase exposure to healthy foods has been shown to positively impact children's dietary intake. Our findings indicated preschooler's age group may be a significant predictor of the effectiveness of food-based learning on vegetable intake. More research is to explore the impact of food-based learning in different age groups on preschool children's dietary intake in a larger sample. Funding East Carolina University.