The Impact of Exposure to Cartoons Promoting Healthy Eating on Children's Food Preferences and Choices

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study explored whether a cartoon show with healthy eating messages positively affected children's food choices and food preferences. DesignExperimental between-subjects design. SettingFour elementary schools in Portugal were investigated. ParticipantsChildren (aged 4–8 years; n = 142) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: a comparison group (n = 73) was exposed to cartoons with no reference to food and an intervention group (n = 69) was exposed to cartoons with healthy eating messages. After viewing, each child was given the opportunity to eat ad libitum for 10 minutes from a small selection of snack foods. Main Outcome MeasureNumber of healthy and unhealthy food items chosen. Food preferences were measured using an adapted version of the Leeds Food Preference Checklist. AnalysisGeneralized linear models were used to test for differences between groups. Results were considered significant at P ≤ .05. ResultsChildren in the experimental group chose significantly more healthy food items than did those in the comparison group (B = –.600; SE = .19; P < .05). Conclusions and ImplicationsFuture studies may address the effect of prolonged exposure to healthy eating cartoons. Cartoons can be used to promote healthy food choices and can be a part of health promotion campaigns.