Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Enrolling by Invitation

NCT Number: NCT07358390

Potatoes as a Strategy to Improve Diet Quality in Young Children

The purpose of this study is to examine whether incorporating potatoes into meals-either paired with other vegetables or served as a first course-can improve preschoolers' vegetable intake, reduce excess energy intake, and improve overall diet quality. Findings will be used to inform whether potatoes, a well-liked and commonly consumed vegetable, could be leveraged in several ways to improve the overall diet quality of children.

Enrolling by Invitation

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Conditions

Dietary Intake

Age range

2 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Pennsylvania State University

University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, United States

About this study

The overall object of this study is to test potato-based strategies to improve diet quality in preschool age children. The specific aims are:

Aim 1: Determine if pairing potatoes with other less-preferred vegetables increases liking and intake of the non-potato vegetables.

Aim 2: Determine if potato-based dishes can be used strategically to reduce intake of more energy-dense entrees.

The effect of potato-based dishes on vegetable intake and total energy intake will be tested across four lunch-time sessions in preschool classrooms. Each lunch session will be randomly assigned to one of the potato dish conditions.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

Child:

  • Enrolled in participating Head Start classroom
  • Age 2-6 years old

Parent:

  • Parent/guardian of a participating child
  • Age 18 years or older
  • Able to read and answer questions in English

Teacher:

  • Teacher/teaching staff member of a participating Head State classroom
  • Age 18 years or older
  • Able to read and answer questions in English

Exclusion criteria

Child:

  • Allergy to potatoes
  • Children who are not able to understand and answer questions in English may participate in all parts of the study except for the taste test ratings, which require the child to communicate with the research assistant

Parent:

  • Child not enrolled in the study

Teacher exclusion criteria:

  • None

Treatment and study plan

Potato + vegetable

Other

A mixed dish of potatoes and other vegetables will be served at lunch

Potato appetizer

Other

A potato dish will be served as an appetizer at lunch prior to the main course

Potato and vegetable separate

Other

A potato dish and a vegetable dish will be served separately at lunch

No potato

Other

No potato dish will be served at lunch

Primary outcomes

  1. Intake of target vegetable at lunch

    Time frame: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks

    Intake of the non-potato target vegetable will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dish prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating

  2. Entree intake at lunch

    Time frame: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks

    Intake of an energy-dense entree (macaroni and cheese) will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dish prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating

  3. Liking of vegetable + potato dishes

    Time frame: Once at start of study

    Children will be presented with small samples of several vegetable, potato, and vegetable + potato dishes and asked to taste them. Children will rate each food as 'yummy', 'just ok', or 'yucky' using a pictorial scale. We will compare the percentage of children who rate the vegetable with potato (VEG+POT) dishes as yummy to the percentage that rated the same non-potato vegetable alone (VEG) as 'yummy'.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Willingness to taste vegetable + potato dishes

    Time frame: Once at beginning of study

    Children will be presented with small samples of several vegetable, potato, and vegetable + potato dishes and asked to taste them. Children will rate each food as 'yummy', 'just ok', or 'yucky' using a pictorial scale. We will compare the percentage of children who were willing to taste the vegetable with potato (VEG+POT) dishes to the percentage that were willing to taste the same non-potato vegetable alone (VEG).

  2. Intake of potatoes at lunch

    Time frame: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks

    Intake of the potato dish will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dish prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating

  3. Total vegetable intake at lunch

    Time frame: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks

    Total intake of potato and non-potato vegetables will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dishes prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating

  4. Total energy intake at lunch

    Time frame: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks

    Total energy intake in kcal will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dishes prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Penn State University

Other

Collaborators

  • Alliance for Potato Research and Education

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jan 22, 2026
Registry last updated
Apr 2, 2026

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.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.