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A systematic review of types of healthy eating interventions in preschools
Mette V Mikkelsen, Sofie Husby, Laurits R Skov
1Development of Planning and Development, Research group for Meal science and Public Health Nutrition - MENU, University of Aalborg, A,C, Meyers Vaenge 15, Copenhagen SV 2450, Denmark. apce@plan.aau.dk.
Insights
Healthy eating interventions in early education settings improved children's fruit and vegetable intake and nutrition knowledge. However, few studies demonstrated significant decreases in body mass index (BMI), indicating a need for more robust research.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Nutrition Science
Background:
- Rising global obesity rates necessitate novel strategies for promoting healthy eating habits.
- Preschool years are critical for establishing lifelong eating patterns, making early educational settings ideal for health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review healthy eating interventions aimed at preventing obesity in 3-6-year-old children.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of single, educational, and multicomponent interventions in preschools, kindergartens, and day care facilities.
Main Methods:
- Systematic search of Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PubMed databases.
- Inclusion of studies with baseline and follow-up measurements.
- Analysis of interventions in preschools, kindergartens, and day care facilities across different global regions.
Main Results:
- 26 studies met inclusion criteria, with interventions primarily in preschools and kindergartens.
- Healthy eating interventions successfully increased fruit and vegetable consumption and nutrition knowledge.
- Only two studies reported a significant reduction in body mass index (BMI).
Conclusions:
- A lack of well-designed interventions with clear, verifiable outcomes was identified.
- Preschools offer significant potential for influencing children's food choices, which requires greater recognition and utilization.
Background:
With the worldwide levels of obesity new venues for promotion of healthy eating habits are necessary. Considering children's eating habits are founded during their preschool years early educational establishments are a promising place for making health promoting interventions.
Methods:
This systematic review evaluates different types of healthy eating interventions attempting to prevent obesity among 3 to 6 year-olds in preschools, kindergartens and day care facilities. Studies that included single interventions, educational interventions and/or multicomponent interventions were eligible for review. Included studies also had to have conducted both baseline and follow-up measurements.A systematic search of the databases Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL and PubMed was conducted to identify articles that met the inclusion criteria. The bibliographies of identified articles were also searched for relevant articles.
Results:
The review identified 4186 articles, of which 26 studies met the inclusion criteria. Fifteen of the interventions took place in preschools, 10 in kindergartens and 1 in another facility where children were cared for by individuals other than their parents. Seventeen of the 26 included studies were located in North America, 1 in South America, 5 in Asia, and 3 in a European context.Healthy eating interventions in day care facilities increased fruit and vegetable consumption and nutrition related knowledge among the target groups. Only 2 studies reported a significant decrease in body mass index.
Conclusions:
This review highlights the scarcity of properly designed healthy eating interventions using clear indicators and verifiable outcomes. The potential of preschools as a potential setting for influencing children's food choice at an early age should be more widely recognised and utilised.
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