Comparison of Parent and Child Ratings of Fruit and Vegetable Liking to Assess Parent Accuracy as Proxy Reporters

ABSTRACT

This study examined the accuracy of parent-report child fruit/vegetable (FV) liking. Child/parent dyads (n = 24) were recruited from six Head Start preschools in North Carolina. Liking for 10 FVs was assessed using a validated pictorial tool for children; a similar scale was used for parents. Negative relationships were observed between parent/child for one fruit (grapes) and one vegetable (broccoli). Positive relationships were observed among oranges, grapes, and overall fruit rankings. Parents tended to rank children’s liking of fruits higher than their children, while children ranked liking vegetables higher. Findings suggest parents may not be accurate respondents for preschool children’s FV liking.

KEYWORDS:

• Fruit and vegetables
• liking
• parent-report
• preschool children

Author Contribution

Virginia Stage contributed to this work by designing the study, managing the data collection and data analysis process, and completing revisions/rewrites. Suzanne Goodell, Archana Hegde, Depti Dev, Amanda Peterson, and Virginia Stage assisted in reviewing explanation of methods and reporting of results for accuracy and clarity, offering additional resources for review of literature, and providing substantial feedback for overall improvement of the study design and manuscript. Carrie Downing was responsible for conducting data analysis and drafting the original manuscript.

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge Tiffany Cox, Kristen Nanney, and Hilary Spangler.

Additional information

Funding

Financial Support was provided by the North Carolina State University Undergraduate Research Grant Award.