‘Big, strong and healthy’. Young children’s identification of food and drink that contribute to healthy growth

Tatlow-Golden, Mimi; Hennessy, Eilis; Dean, Moira and Hollywood, Lynsey (2013). ‘Big, strong and healthy’. Young children’s identification of food and drink that contribute to healthy growth. Appetite, 71 pp. 163–170.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2013.08.007

Abstract

Growing awareness of the importance of healthy diet in early childhood makes it important to chart the development of children’s understanding of food and drink. This study aimed to document young chil- dren’s evaluation of food and drink as healthy, and to explore relationships with socioeconomic status, family eating habits, and children’s television viewing. Data were gathered from children aged 3–5 years (n = 172) in diverse socioeconomic settings in Ireland, and from their parents. Results demonstrated that children had very high levels of ability to identify healthy foods as important for growth and health, but considerably less ability to reject unhealthy items, although knowledge of these increased significantly between ages 3 and 5. Awareness of which foods were healthy, and which foods were not, was not related to family socioeconomic status, parent or child home eating habits, or children’s television viewing. Results highlighted the importance of examining young children’s response patterns, as many of the youngest showed a consistent ‘yes bias’; however, after excluding these responses, the significant findings remained. Findings suggest it is important to teach children about less healthy foods in the preschool years.

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About

• Item ORO ID
• 55645
• Item Type
• Journal Item
• ISSN
• 0195-6663
• Project Funding Details

• Funded Project Name	Project ID	Funding Body
  Food Marketing and the Preschool Child	Fund No. [09-2010]	SAFEFOOD Safefood: the Food Safety Authority for Ireland and Northern Ireland

• Keywords
• young children; preschool; healthy food; Yes Bias; parents; television
• Academic Unit or School
• Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS) > Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport > Childhood, Youth and Sport > Childhood and Youth
  Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS) > Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport > Childhood, Youth and Sport
  Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS) > Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport
  Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS)
• Research Group
• Childhood and Youth
  Centre for Children’s Wellbeing
• Copyright Holders
• © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
• Depositing User
• Mimi Tatlow-Golden