Trying versus Liking Fruits and Vegetables: Correspondence between Mothers and Preschoolers

Abstract

Extensive research indicates that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables (F&V) protects against numerous illnesses in adulthood, but that most individuals, including children, consume far fewer F&V per day than is recommended. Since evidence suggests that eating habits in childhood track into adulthood, more research is necessary to learn about how parental F&V intake and opportunities influence child F&V consumption. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between mothers' F&V preferences and those of their preschool-age children to determine if greater maternal “liking” of fruits and vegetables was associated with their reports of their children's “trying” more fruits and vegetables. Eighty-three mothers completed a questionnaire that assessed whether they and their preschoolers had tried or liked a variety of F&V. Mothers liked 86% of the fruits they tried, girls 76%, and boys 69%. Mothers liked 81% of the vegetables they tried; boys and girls liked 55%. Mothers' likes correlated with F&V that their children tried, but mothers' likes also limited the number of F&V that their children tried. Mothers reported preferences for F&V are associated with estimates of their preschoolers' preferences for F&V. Relative to girls, boys may need additional opportunities for F&V exposure.

KEYWORDS:

• child
• fruit and vegetable intake
• parental preferences

Work on this project was supported in part by NICHD grant HD47338 to the last author.

Notes

¹ Dennison and others (1998) had only 74 children of age 5 in their cross-sectional sample, while the 4- and 5-year-olds of Bell and Tepper (2006) numbered 65. Most recently, Couthard and Blisset (2009) described taste/smell sensitivity, food neophobia, and F&V consumption by 2–5-year-olds and their mothers in a sample of 73.