The impact of a sensory education on gustatory and olfactory perception in Austrian school children aged 11 to 14 – A consideration of long-term effects

Abstract

A sensory based education aims to stimulate sensory skills and enhance sensory perception through an experimental approach and is supposed to help making positive food experiences. As the first part of our study confirmed the hypothesis that a sensory education program has a short-term impact on gustatory and olfactory perception (within one month after a sensory intervention) in school children aged 11 to 14 years, we decided to evaluate long-term effects 6 months and 12 months after the sensory education was carried out. A statistically significant increase (p < 0.05) could be found in taste recognition (overall and individual taste qualities) for the education group but not for the control group. In both groups a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) was observed for selected odorants. The results demonstrate a lasting effect of a sensory training over a longer period of time without further sensory stimulation. On the basis of these findings and the existing literature we recommend the implementation of a sensory based education in school in order to contribute to the nutrition literacy concept.