Interventions for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in children aged five years and under

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Public Health Interventions
• Non-Communicable Disease Prevention

Background:

• Childhood fruit and vegetable intake is crucial for preventing future non-communicable diseases.
• Low consumption rates pose a significant public health challenge.
• Early childhood interventions may mitigate long-term health risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in children aged five and under.
• To assess the cost-effectiveness of these interventions.
• To identify any associated adverse events.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
• Searched multiple databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase) and trial registries.
• Included trials with dietary or biochemical assessments of fruit/vegetable intake.

Main Results:

• 78 trials involving 13,746 participants were included.
• Child-feeding practices showed a small positive effect on vegetable intake (very low-quality evidence).
• Multicomponent interventions demonstrated a small effect on fruit and vegetable consumption (moderate-quality evidence).
• Effectiveness of parent nutrition education remains uncertain (very low-quality evidence).

Conclusions:

• Evidence for increasing children's fruit and vegetable intake is limited.
• Child-feeding practices and multicomponent interventions show modest benefits.
• High-quality, long-term studies are needed to confirm findings and guide future interventions.
• This is a living systematic review, continually updated with new evidence.