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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01414699

The Influence of Dietary Variety and Course Sequence on Fruit Intake in Preschool-Aged Children

The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which manipulation of dietary variety and course sequence affects fruit intake and overall energy intake in preschool-aged children.

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Key information

Conditions

Caloric Intake

Age range

3 year–6 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Healthy Eating and Activity Laboratory

Knoxville, Tennessee, 37916, United States

About this study

In the past two decades overweight and obesity rates in children (ages 2-19) have risen from 5% to 17%, with toddlers (ages 2-5) at 10%. Among children and adolescents the consumption of low-energy-dense foods, such as fruit and vegetables (F&Vs), remain below current recommendations. Therefore, strategies to increase low-energy-dense F&V intake and decrease high-energy-dense food intake aimed at young children are essential. Antecedents, or cues, can trigger eating. Therefore, manipulating food presentation can be utilized to produce certain behaviors. Dietary variety and course sequence are two examples of this relationship. It has been well established that high dietary variety leads to greater consumption patterns compared to low DV diets in adults. High DV has only been tested with problematic foods, and not with the goal of increasing F&V intake. Additionally, serving a first course meal can act as a preload to decrease intake of the second course entrée. Dietary variety and course sequence manipulations have been experimentally tested with caloric intake goals but never with the goal of increasing F&V intake. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which manipulation of dietary variety and course sequence affects fruit intake and overall energy intake in preschool-aged children.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • All children that are ≥3 years of age enrolled in the ELC preschool with parental consent can participate.
  • Eligible children must also like applesauce, peaches and cheese cubes, and be able to consume foods with a spoon.

Exclusion criteria

  • Children allergic to applesauce, peaches, or chocolate pudding or who are lactose-intolerant will not be included in the study.
  • Did not attend all feeding sessions.
  • Did not consume more than 5 grams from any of the foods on an occasion.

Treatment and study plan

Variety

Behavioral

These conditions will have snack served with an increase of fruit variety.

Non-Variety

Behavioral

These conditions will receive a snack without a variety of fruit.

Primary outcomes

  1. Total grams of snack consumed.

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Total grams of snack consumed by participants over the 4-week study (with 1 snack per week) period will be determined by subtracting pre- and post-consumption weight of the snack provided.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2011
Primary completion
2011
Study completion
2015
First posted
Aug 11, 2011
Registry last updated
Apr 5, 2018

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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