Dietary habits and choices of 4-to-6-year-olds: Do children have a preference for sweet taste?

Abstrakt

Children develop food preferences by coming into direct contact with various food products through the senses of taste, touch, sight and smell. The aim of this study was to analyze the food preferences of children aged 4 to 6 years and to determine whether age and gender influence children’s food preferences and whether the preference for sweet taste changes with age. The study involved a paper questionnaire containing images of 115 different food products and dishes. The respondents expressed their preferences by choosing the appropriate emoji (happy, sad or neutral face). The study was conducted between 2018 and 2020, and it involved 684 children from 10 kindergartens. Girls chose a significantly higher number of foods and dishes they liked than boys (p = 0.002), and 4-year-olds gave a higher number of “neutral” responses than 5- and 6-year-olds (p = 0.001). Dietary diversity increased with age, and younger children were familiar with fewer foods than 6-year-olds (p = 0.002). Children had a clear preference for sweet taste, regardless of age and gender. Young children (4-year-olds) were more likely to accept healthy foods despite the fact that they were familiar with fewer products and dishes.

Autorzy

Joanna Kostecka-Jarecka
Joanna Kostecka-Jarecka
Mariola Kowal
Mariola Kowal
artykuł
Children-Basel
Angielski
2021
8
9
774
otwarte czasopismo
CC BY 4.0 Uznanie autorstwa 4.0
ostateczna wersja opublikowana
w momencie opublikowania
2021-09-02
40
2,835
0
2