Allowing active decision making key to healthy toddler snacking: study

27 Feb 2018 --- Teaching toddlers about healthy eating choices must be simplified to be successful. Solidifying sensible eating habits in young children is key to life-long healthy living, but programs must be age-appropriate. This is according to a new study, published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. The study found that preschoolers who understand the difference between healthy and non-healthy snack items are likely to choose healthier items. However, the teaching method must be simple enough for their cognitive level. In this study, children are active decision makers. 

“Few studies have considered the active role preschoolers have as they develop an understanding of healthy living,” says lead author Jody S. Nicholson, Ph.D., University of North Florida. “At this age, they are not able to explain why they know something is healthy or how the body processes food, but they can identify that fruit, vegetables and milk are good for them.”

In total 235 preschoolers aged 3-6 years participated in the study. The assessment tool was simply different printed pictures of foods and drinks. These snack items were divided into 13 pairs and were differentiated as high contrast (e.g., carrots vs. donuts) and low-contrast (e.g., crackers vs. chips). During individual interviews, preschoolers were asked to identify the snacks pictured and which item in the pair they would choose to eat.

It was found that the easier a preschooler could understand the “healthiness” of an item, the more likely they were to choose the said item. Easy food comparisons, such as the high-contrast items of a carrot and a donut, were most suitable for preschoolers ability to differentiate. They actively understood the carrot was healthier than the donut. On top of this understanding, it was found they also chose to eat the healthy carrot.

Novel food items such as kiwi and a granola bar were identified by less than 10 percent of preschoolers. Older preschoolers could identify healthy foods, categorize food, and were more likely to report they would choose healthier foods for a snack. This finding is consistent with the cognitive skills that improve during preschool years.

“Preschoolers may not be able to detect small differences between food to classify them as healthy and unhealthy, and the labels of ’good’ and ’bad’ food are not always accurate,” reports Dr. Nicholson. “Using one-dimensional descriptive phrases, such as how often food should be consumed, would be more accurate and developmentally appropriate.”

Approximately one in four preschoolers in the US are overweight or obese, and poor nutrition in early childhood has enduring consequences to children’s cognitive functioning. Preschool, therefore, is a critical period for children to begin to make their own dietary decisions to develop life-long healthy eating habits. 

This study could aid a holistic understanding of children’s health by improving preschool education programs. Moreover, as NutritionInsight has reported, children’s approaches to healthy eating is even influenced by their genes which brings the necessity of education even more to the forefront. These studies ask an important and exciting question: Nature or Nurture?