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How does a storybook impact preschool children’s willingness to try vegetables? An experimental study from the Veggies4myHeart project

2025-07-07Journal article Open access
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datacite.subject.fosCiências Médicas::Ciências da Saúde
datacite.subject.sdg03:Saúde de Qualidade
datacite.subject.sdg17:Parcerias para a Implementação dos Objetivos
datacite.subject.sdg04:Educação de Qualidade
dc.contributor.authorBraga-Pontes, Cátia
dc.contributor.authorBorges, Mariana
dc.contributor.authorRosa, Tiago Araújo
dc.contributor.authorNovo, Rita
dc.contributor.authorVieito, Leonel
dc.contributor.authorLages, Marlene
dc.contributor.authorGuarino, Maria P.
dc.contributor.authorDias, Sara Simões
dc.contributor.editorMinicucci, Marcos
dc.contributor.editorAmancio, Olga
dc.date.accessioned2025-10-02T13:18:01Z
dc.date.available2025-10-02T13:18:01Z
dc.date.issued2025-07-07
dc.descriptionWe are very grateful to the Municipality of Leiria for the partnership with the project Veggies4myHeart and to the principals, teachers, staff, and families of the preschools with which we partnered on this project.
dc.descriptionArticle number - 49
dc.description.abstractBackground Vegetable consumption among children is below recommended. Given the critical role of vegetable consumption in health, it is essential to identify effective strategies to promote this intake. This study aimed to test the efficacy of a superhero’s storybook (SB) as a nutrition education strategy on the willingness to try (WTT) 10 different vegetables in preschool children and relate WTT with food neophobia, preferences, age, and body mass index. Methods This is an experimental study conducted in three Portuguese preschools. The intervention consisted of 20-min educational sessions once a week for 5 weeks, using a SB for nutrition education, to 178 children aged 2 to 6 years. A baseline and a post-test were conducted to determine the impact of the nutrition education strategy on the WTT ten vegetables. WTT was assessed using the Farfan-Ramirez WTT (FR-WTT) scale. Kruskal–Wallis H test, Spearman correlation, and Wilcoxon test were used for statistical analysis. Results The mean FR-WTT total score at baseline was significantly lower than the mean FR-WTT total score at post-test [M = 22.79 (S.D. = 11.85) versus M = 24.39 (S.D. = 11.77)], respectively. The intervention promoted a significant increase in the WTT of half of the vegetables offered and the total FR-WTT score. Conclusion The storybook from the Veggies4myHeart project demonstrated positive results in increasing WTT vegetables. However, it is essential to understand the project’s impact at home and in the long term. It is necessary to find valuable strategies to increase vegetable consumption in different contexts, including schools and at home.eng
dc.description.sponsorshipOpen access funding provided by FCT|FCCN (b-on). This work was funded by Portuguese national funds provided by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) (UI/05704/2023). M.L. funded by 2021.07673.BD, R.N. by UIDB/05704/2020 and M.P.G. by https://doi.org/10.54499/CEECINST/00051/2018/CP1566/CT0009.
dc.identifier.citationBraga-Pontes, C., Borges, M., Rosa, T.A. et al. How does a storybook impact preschool children’s willingness to try vegetables? An experimental study from the Veggies4myHeart project. Nutrire 50, 49 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41110-025-00356-0
dc.identifier.doi10.1186/s41110-025-00356-0
dc.identifier.eissn2316-7874
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/14190
dc.language.isoeng
dc.peerreviewedyes
dc.publisherSpringer Nature
dc.relationCenter for Innovative Care and Health Technology
dc.relation.hasversionhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s41110-025-00356-0
dc.relation.ispartofNutrire
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectChildren
dc.subjectFood neophobia
dc.subjectFood preferences
dc.subjectHealth education
dc.subjectPreschool
dc.subjectVegetables
dc.titleHow does a storybook impact preschool children’s willingness to try vegetables? An experimental study from the Veggies4myHeart projecteng
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.awardTitleCenter for Innovative Care and Health Technology
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB%2F05704%2F2020/PT
oaire.citation.issue49
oaire.citation.titleNutrire
oaire.citation.volume50
oaire.fundingStream6817 - DCRRNI ID
oaire.versionhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
person.familyNamePereira Braga Pontes
person.familyNameLages
person.familyNameGuarino
person.familyNameDias
person.givenNameCátia Sofia
person.givenNameMarlene
person.givenNameMaria Pedro
person.givenNameSara
person.identifier.ciencia-id4114-E973-CD25
person.identifier.ciencia-idC613-4639-10A8
person.identifier.ciencia-idF21A-BD01-2D52
person.identifier.ciencia-idAA1F-9375-B5E6
person.identifier.orcid0000-0003-1971-0064
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-7389-6368
person.identifier.orcid0000-0001-6079-1105
person.identifier.orcid0000-0001-6782-7481
person.identifier.ridB-5594-2015
person.identifier.ridI-9965-2018
person.identifier.scopus-author-id56348477000
person.identifier.scopus-author-id33367487300
project.funder.identifierhttp://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
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