Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Preferences Are Associated with Their Mothers’ and Fathers’ Preferences
Children’s preference for fruit and vegetables must emerge during childhood. At children’s homes, mothers and fathers influence children’s developing food preferences with their own preferences and actions. The purpose of the study was to reveal the association parents have with their children’s fru...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Foods |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/2/261 |
| _version_ | 1797406888511406080 |
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| author | Kaisa Kähkönen Mari Sandell Anna Rönkä Mika Hujo Outi Nuutinen |
| author_facet | Kaisa Kähkönen Mari Sandell Anna Rönkä Mika Hujo Outi Nuutinen |
| author_sort | Kaisa Kähkönen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Children’s preference for fruit and vegetables must emerge during childhood. At children’s homes, mothers and fathers influence children’s developing food preferences with their own preferences and actions. The purpose of the study was to reveal the association parents have with their children’s fruit and vegetable preferences. The study was conducted in a sample of Finnish mothers and fathers of 3–5-year-old children. The participants were recruited, and questionnaires distributed through early childhood education and care centers in 2014 and 2015. The results showed considerable variance in the children’s preferences, and were more similar with their father’s, than their mother’s preference. There was an association between mother’s and children’s preference for “strong-tasting vegetables and berries“ (<i>p</i> = 0.005), “sweet-tasting fruit“ (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and “common vegetables“ (<i>p</i> = 0.037). Fathers preferences associated with children’s preferences for “strong-tasting vegetables and berries“ (<i>p</i> = 0.003). Food neophobia decreased children’s “strong-tasting vegetables and berries“ (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and “sweet-tasting fruit“ (<i>p</i> < 0.001) preferences. The father’s more relaxed attitude towards eating decreased children’s preferences for “strong-tasting vegetables and berries“ (<i>p</i> = 0.031) and “sweet-tasting fruit“ (<i>p</i> = 0.003). These findings indicate a need for more targeted strategies for increasing children’s preferences for fruit and vegetables and highlight the importance of taking both parents equally into account. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:32:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-21621a75d34c4a6f848f4904a3dafcd5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:32:10Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj.art-21621a75d34c4a6f848f4904a3dafcd52023-12-03T14:52:43ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582021-01-0110226110.3390/foods10020261Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Preferences Are Associated with Their Mothers’ and Fathers’ PreferencesKaisa Kähkönen0Mari Sandell1Anna Rönkä2Mika Hujo3Outi Nuutinen4Department of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, FinlandDepartment of Food and Nutrition, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of Education, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, FinlandSchool of Computing, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, FinlandDepartment of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, FinlandChildren’s preference for fruit and vegetables must emerge during childhood. At children’s homes, mothers and fathers influence children’s developing food preferences with their own preferences and actions. The purpose of the study was to reveal the association parents have with their children’s fruit and vegetable preferences. The study was conducted in a sample of Finnish mothers and fathers of 3–5-year-old children. The participants were recruited, and questionnaires distributed through early childhood education and care centers in 2014 and 2015. The results showed considerable variance in the children’s preferences, and were more similar with their father’s, than their mother’s preference. There was an association between mother’s and children’s preference for “strong-tasting vegetables and berries“ (<i>p</i> = 0.005), “sweet-tasting fruit“ (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and “common vegetables“ (<i>p</i> = 0.037). Fathers preferences associated with children’s preferences for “strong-tasting vegetables and berries“ (<i>p</i> = 0.003). Food neophobia decreased children’s “strong-tasting vegetables and berries“ (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and “sweet-tasting fruit“ (<i>p</i> < 0.001) preferences. The father’s more relaxed attitude towards eating decreased children’s preferences for “strong-tasting vegetables and berries“ (<i>p</i> = 0.031) and “sweet-tasting fruit“ (<i>p</i> = 0.003). These findings indicate a need for more targeted strategies for increasing children’s preferences for fruit and vegetables and highlight the importance of taking both parents equally into account.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/2/261childrenparentalfruit and vegetablespreferencefood neophobiaeating competence |
| spellingShingle | Kaisa Kähkönen Mari Sandell Anna Rönkä Mika Hujo Outi Nuutinen Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Preferences Are Associated with Their Mothers’ and Fathers’ Preferences Foods children parental fruit and vegetables preference food neophobia eating competence |
| title | Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Preferences Are Associated with Their Mothers’ and Fathers’ Preferences |
| title_full | Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Preferences Are Associated with Their Mothers’ and Fathers’ Preferences |
| title_fullStr | Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Preferences Are Associated with Their Mothers’ and Fathers’ Preferences |
| title_full_unstemmed | Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Preferences Are Associated with Their Mothers’ and Fathers’ Preferences |
| title_short | Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Preferences Are Associated with Their Mothers’ and Fathers’ Preferences |
| title_sort | children s fruit and vegetable preferences are associated with their mothers and fathers preferences |
| topic | children parental fruit and vegetables preference food neophobia eating competence |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/2/261 |
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