Using repeated visual exposure, rewards and modelling in a mobile application to increase vegetable acceptance in children

Abstract

Children are not consuming the recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables. Repeated visual exposure, modelling, and rewards have been shown to be effective at increasing vegetable acceptance in young children. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an evidence-based mobile application (Vegetable Maths Masters) which builds on these principles to increase children's liking and acceptance of vegetables. Seventy-four children (37 male, 37 female) aged 3–6 years old were randomised to play with either the vegetable app or a similar control app that did not include any foods. Children played their allocated game for 10 min. Liking and acceptance of the vegetables used in Vegetable Maths Masters (carrot and sweetcorn) and other vegetables which were not used in the game (yellow pepper and tomato) were measured pre- and post-play in both groups. Parents provided data about their child's food fussiness and previous exposure to the foods being used. Children who played with the Vegetable Maths Masters app consumed significantly more vegetables after playing with the app and reported significant increases in their liking of vegetables, relative to the control group. The effect of the Vegetable Maths Masters app on the change in consumption of vegetables was mediated by the change in liking of vegetables. These findings suggest that evidence-based mobile apps can provide an effective tool for increasing children's liking and consumption of vegetables in the short-term. Further work is now required to establish whether these effects are maintained over time.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2019.104327
Divisions: College of Health & Life Sciences > School of Psychology
College of Health & Life Sciences
College of Engineering & Physical Sciences > Aston STEM Education Centre
College of Engineering & Physical Sciences > Systems analytics research institute (SARI)
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College of Engineering & Physical Sciences
Additional Information: © 2019, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Funding: British Psychological Society.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Children,Mobile application,Modelling,Repeated exposure,Rewards,Vegetable intake,Psychology(all),Nutrition and Dietetics
Publication ISSN: 1095-8304
Last Modified: 11 Mar 2024 08:28
Date Deposited: 20 Jun 2019 07:30
Full Text Link:
Related URLs: https://www.sci ... 2880?via%3Dihub (Publisher URL)
http://www.scop ... tnerID=8YFLogxK (Scopus URL)
PURE Output Type: Article
Published Date: 2019-10-01
Published Online Date: 2019-06-19
Accepted Date: 2019-06-18
Authors: Farrow, Claire (ORCID Profile 0000-0003-3745-6610)
Belcher, Esme
Coulthard, Helen
Thomas, Jason Michael (ORCID Profile 0000-0001-7013-8994)
Lumsden, Joanna M (ORCID Profile 0000-0002-8637-7647)
Hakobyan, Lilit (ORCID Profile 0000-0001-9518-4997)
Haycraft, Emma

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