See & Eat! Using E-books to Promote Vegetable Eating Among Preschoolers: Findings From an Italian Sample

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Child Psychology
• Digital Health Interventions

Background:

• Preschoolers often exhibit food neophobia, particularly towards vegetables, posing a challenge for parents.
• Existing strategies for introducing vegetables have limited success, necessitating innovative approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of e-books in fostering positive attitudes toward vegetables in preschoolers.
• To assess the impact of repeated visual vegetable exposure via e-books on children's eating behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 61 families with preschoolers using a vegetable-themed e-book.
• Pre- and post-intervention assessments of children's willingness to taste, intake, liking, and food fussiness.
• Analysis of parental ratings regarding mealtime goals and agreement.

Main Results:

• Significant increases in children's willingness to taste, intake, and liking for both target and non-target vegetables post-intervention.
• A slight but significant increase in children's food fussiness and parental endorsement of positive mealtime goals.
• The positive effects of e-book reading generalized to vegetables not included in the intervention.

Conclusions:

• E-books represent a viable and effective tool for promoting healthy eating habits and vegetable consumption in young children.
• Repeated, engaging visual exposure through digital media can positively influence children's acceptance of novel foods.
• Digital interventions hold promise for addressing pediatric feeding challenges and improving dietary patterns in early childhood.