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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03043118

Children's Taste Study to Increase Vegetable Intake in Preschoolers

Studies have shown that when exposed to a variety of food and flavor options people tend to consume more than when only one item is presented. This strategy has been used to increase vegetable intake in adults and during snacktime in children. Increasing vegetable consumption in children is important because higher vegetable intake has been associated with reduced risk of disease and because vegetables can help prevent weight gain by lowering the energy density of a meal. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using herb and spice blends to create flavor variety in carrots as a model vegetable in a laboratory test meal. We predict that children will consume more vegetables and that the energy density of the meal will be lower when a variety of seasoned carrots are presented in comparison to a single flavor. A secondary goal of the study was to determine other influences that may predict children's liking and intake of seasoned vegetables, such as previous exposure, infant feeding practices, and genetic bitter sensitivity.

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Key information

Conditions

Pediatric Obesity Behavior Behavior, Animal Body Weight Feeding Behavior Nutrition Disorders Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Obesity Overnutrition Overweight Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

3 year–5 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

The Pennsylvania State University

University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Acceptance of test meal foods
  • Generally healthy

Exclusion criteria

  • Food allergies
  • Medications (prescription or OTC) that can affect taste, smell or appetite
  • Medical conditions

Treatment and study plan

Variety Intervention

Other

Vegetable flavor variety created with multiple herb and spice blends

Primary outcomes

  1. Chang in Vegetable Intake

    Time frame: Baseline and 1 week

    Consumption is measured by pre- and post- weights of carrot offered in both the variety and no variety conditions

  2. Change in Total Food Intake

    Time frame: Baseline and 1 week

    Consumption is measured by pre- and post- weights of all meal items offered in both the variety and no variety conditions

  3. Change in Meal Energy Density

    Time frame: Baseline and 1 week

    Calculated from the total calories consumed divided by the grams of food eaten

Secondary outcomes

  1. Spice Intake Questionnaire

    Time frame: Baseline

    A survey of maternally reported herb and spice consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding as well as current home use

  2. Home Spice Checklist

    Time frame: Baseline

    A comprehensive checklist of 34 herbs and spices for parents to fill out at home to evaluate children's overall herb and spice exposure

  3. Infant Feeding Practices

    Time frame: Baseline

    A survey of maternally reported feeding practices, include breastfeeding, formula feeding, and introduction to solid foods.

  4. Liking of Broccoli with Herbs and Spices

    Time frame: Baseline

    Liking is measured using a child friendly 5-pt hedonic scale; pilot data for future studies looking to apply this technique to green vegetables

  5. Liking of Carrots with Herb and Spice Blends

    Time frame: Baseline

    Liking is measured using a child friendly 5-pt hedonic scale

Other outcomes

  1. Age

    Time frame: Baseline

    Age of the participant on visit 1

  2. Height

    Time frame: Baseline

    Height measured in cm on a stadiometer

  3. Weight

    Time frame: Baseline

    Weight measured to the 0.1 pounds using a digital scale

  4. 6-n-propylthiourcacil Sensitivity

    Time frame: Baseline

    Children switch and spit a 56 umol solution of 6-n-propylthiouracil and are classified as tasters if it described as "bitter" or "yucky" and non-tasters if it's described as "nothing" or "like water".

  5. Body Mass Index

    Time frame: Baseline

    Calculated from height and weight (kg/m^2)

  6. Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire

    Time frame: Baseline

    A validated parent-reported questionnaire on children's typical eating behaviors and attitudes toward foods

  7. Preschool Adjusted Liking Scale

    Time frame: Baseline

    A questionnaire to assess children's liking of various common foods and daily activities.

  8. Family Demographics

    Time frame: Baseline

    A parent-reported questionnaire

  9. Parental Feeding Practices

    Time frame: Baseline

    A parent-reported questionnaire on typical feeding practices

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Penn State University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

A Pilot Study to Test the Influence of Vegetable Flavor Variety Using Herbs and Spices on Preschool Children's Vegetable Intake

Acronym: CTS

Important dates

Study start
2015
Primary completion
2016
Study completion
2016
First posted
Feb 3, 2017
Registry last updated
Apr 5, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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