The relationship between children’s and mothers’ vegetable liking in Chile, China and the United States

Abstract

This study analyzed children’s (n = 384), 5 to 12 years old, and their mothers’ (n = 321) vegetable liking in three countries (Chile, China and the USA). Liking measures were collected using tasting sessions in which fourteen different vegetables were tasted. Three factors were tested: country (Chile, China, USA), status (mother/child) and products (vegetables). The results showed that mothers gave higher liking vegetable scores than their children when all the participants were analyzed together (p < 0.05). However, some differences were found between countries when they were analyzed individually. Specifically, American mothers like vegetables more than their children, while Chinese and Chilean mothers like vegetable the same amount as their children. Moreover, it was observed that Chilean mothers liked a smaller variety of vegetables than their children. The use of the 7-point hedonic scale to rate the vegetables was also analyzed. Children in the three countries and Chilean mothers showed a polarized use of the scale (with mostly extreme like and extreme dislike ratings), while mothers in China and the USA showed a pattern of use of the upper part of the scale. Three preference segments were uncovered for children in Chile and China, and two for US children. The variety of the children’s diets, the amount of vegetables eaten at lunch/dinner, and the level of the mothers’ satisfaction with their children’s vegetable intake were factors used to characterize the different child preference segments according to their level of liking (p < 0.05).