A Unique, Innovative, Easy-to-Use Program to Improve Young Children’s Attitudes About and Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables

Abstract

Getting children to eat fruits and vegetables (FV) is an important strategy for the prevention of childhood obesity. However, efforts to increase access to FV have also resulted in many of the vegetables and fruits being wasted, leaving children without the nutritional benefits and the resources not achieving their full desired impact. Multidisciplinary influences have shaped a new program for children ages 2 to 7 that can increase the desirability of and consumption of FV. The Guinea Show is easy-to-use, entertaining, and low cost and features an innovative role model. Results from field tests of The Guinea Show in preschool classrooms are included and indicate that children are more likely to try FV. Brief instructions on how to use this method are described.

‘. . . in order to curb the childhood obesity problem, it is important to focus on young children as they develop their eating habits.’

Childhood obesity is a significant public health problem. Comparing NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) data from 1976 to 1980 to that from 2015 to 2016, the percentage of 2 to 5 year olds who are obese has more than doubled from 5% to 13.9%.^1,2

Childhood obesity and being overweight have consequences for children, such as increasing risk for developing low self-esteem, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and other preventable health problems. Sufficient intake of fruits and vegetables (FV) plays a central role in preventing obesity and numerous associated chronic diseases. FV are important for children’s health, growth, and development. Yet, 93% of children ages 2 to 18 years ate less than the recommended amounts of vegetables and 60% consumed fewer fruits than recommended from an analysis of a sample of NHANES data.³ Many nutrition and public health advocates and researchers conclude that in order to curb the childhood obesity problem, it is important to focus on young children as they develop their eating habits.

Getting kids to enjoy and eat FV is an important strategy to reducing childhood obesity. Public health efforts often focus on increasing children’s access to FV. However, even with access through child nutrition programs, children waste FV. In a recent study of the National School Lunch Program in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms, more than half of vegetables served and a third of the fruit provided were discarded.⁴ Efforts are needed to increase the appeal of FV to prevent waste. A review published in 2018 noted that intake of vegetables was still very low even with various interventions, other than 8 to 10 repeated taste exposures that had a positive effect on vegetable consumption.⁵ Studies of food waste in schools have shown the high financial cost of good FV that end up in the trash in spite of their intent to improve children’s nutritional intake.⁶ While access to FV is essential, it alone does not prevent FV from being discarded, and thus may do little to change children’s perceptions of FV and their eating habits.

Advertising and branding influence young children’s food and drink preferences and their health. For example, one study showed that children were more likely to prefer products with the McDonald’s label as tasting better over the same product without their label.⁷ Most marketing has been of unhealthy foods. However, the Institute of Medicine recommended using marketing principles to promote healthy food for children.⁸

It is critical to increase the desirability of FV, which complements efforts to increase children’s access to them. Increasing the appeal of FV and their consumption and reducing waste maximizes the impact of dollars spent to improve nutrition.

The Guinea Show (TGS) is an educational program for children ages 2 to 7 years that follows the Institute of Medicine recommendation to use the power of marketing to promote healthful foods. This program inspires young kids to try FV through a combination of education and entertainment. TGS incorporates multidisciplinary influences of health education, social cognitive theory, psychology, nutrition, music, imagery, early literacy, and parasocial relationships. Children learn by observation and role models.

TGS program consists of videos featuring Guinea, a cute guinea pig role model who enthusiastically consumes FV, along with teacher-led activities to supplement the videos. Guinea embodies excitement about FV, eating nutritious FV with vigor. Young children are known to form parasocial relationships (attachment and friendship) over time with media characters, like Guinea.⁹ Genuine, safe, and cute, Guinea becomes a credible messenger of information for young children about the positive—and delicious—benefits of healthy food choices. Parasocial relationships with media characters positively enhance children’s interest in learning online content from them.¹⁰ Like advertising, the videos are short, the imagery memorable, and the song catchy.

To date, 20 shows are available on DVD, and 22 as HD digital downloadable files. Each video is under 2 minutes long. TGS is easy-to-use, intuitive, low cost, and requires minimal training. Catchy advertising has been called a threat to children’s health due to its power to negatively influence children’s food preferences. However, this unique program uses that power to influence children to make healthy food choices. Samples of the videos can be seen at https://GuineaShow.com.

Brief Instructions on How to Implement The Guinea Show

To implement the program, teachers (also leaders, caregivers, or parents) do the following:

1. Select the fruit or vegetable of the day. Each teacher selects a fruit or vegetable of the day to be celebrated that day. For the first few days, the teacher will select a fruit or vegetable that children usually like, such as apple, banana, or carrot. The teacher may select a food that is being served to children that day. The teacher could also select a food to educate children about that is not on that day’s menu.

2. Show the video to students. The teacher shows the video of the fruit or vegetable that he/she selected. The teacher will play the video at least twice for the children, one right after the other. Assembling the children and showing the video twice should take about 5 minutes.

3. Engage the students in a discussion or activity about the fruit or vegetable of the day from “The Guinea Show Parent and Teacher Guide. Fun Activities to Supplement The Guinea Show.” After the video, the teacher or teacher’s assistant will lead a class discussion about the FV of the day (using a discussion question) or lead another related brief activity to further engage the children and give attention and appreciation to the FV of the day. This post-video discussion or activity may take up to 10 minutes for a total of 15 minutes or less of class time. Examples of the discussion questions are, “How do you like to eat _____ (FV of the day)?” or “Who in your family likes ____ (FV of the day)?” These questions bring up enjoyment, engage the child, and bring to mind role models within the family who like FV. If children share positive stories of eating the FV, then it also facilitates positive peer influence. Examples of the activities are the following: “Tell a story about the fruit or vegetable of the day;” or “draw it;” or “What are other F or V that are the same color?” Any of these activities engages the child to pay attention with positive regard of the particular FV of the day. The next day, they turn their attention to another FV.

4. Respond to students’ questions and comments about the videos.

Field Test Results

An early version of TGS was field tested in 3 Head Start classrooms in Hawaii for 8 to 10 school days. Children liked TGS. Some children tried new FV after watching a video. Teachers found TGS easy to use. The themes derived from the field test follow, including some of the teacher’s feedback.

• Theme 1. The 3 teachers agreed that children liked watching TGS, stating, “They really like watching the guinea pig eat. They loved him.” “The children wanted to watch more videos at one time, but we stuck to one over and over.” They could have watched it all morning. They said, “Let’s watch it again!” Some were smiling and some moved to the music—their heads, arms, bodies. The children liked the music. “It is a catchy tune as we hear children singing it.”

• Theme 2. Children tried new foods. Children noticed and were pleased when they ate what Guinea ate. All 3 teachers said TGS encouraged children to try new FV and eat them, stating, “I think the children will try new fruits/vegs if they see Guinea eats it.” One teacher said the children in her classroom all year just licked the cream cheese off of the celery. “A lot of them haven’t touched the celery, and then when we showed the Guinea eating the celery. . . . OK, let me have a small bite.” They would discuss that Guinea ate the foods that were served to them at school. “Oh, Do you remember when Guinea ate that? Didn’t he really like it?” “Children are saying, ‘OK.’ Then, they’ll try it.”

• Theme 3. It was a helpful resource to teach health and nutrition to young children. “It would be a great addition to our unit on healthy foods as it introduces one fruit or vegetable at a time.” It tells how FV are important to the body and health.

• Theme 4. Teachers found it easy to use. All 3 teachers said TGS was easy to use, stating, “I liked that it was short and to the point.” “All we did was pop it in and play it. And they were sitting right there with their attention.” Some made special efforts to coordinate the video to match what was being served that day. The children and the teachers would talk about Guinea during meal times regarding the FV being served.

The field test results led to various changes in the development of the videos. Most important, a parent and teacher guide was created. Teachers desired more nutrition information, so a page of nutrition resources were added to the Parent and Teacher Guide with links to US Department of Agriculture, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, US Dietary Guidelines, Let’s Move, and others. The “Parent and Teacher Guide. Fun Activities to Supplement The Guinea Show” also provides discussion questions and sample activities to incorporate after showing a video.

Requiring 10 to 15 minutes a day, this easy-to-use strategy may increase the desirability of and demand for FV, reducing waste. This low-cost strategy to improve consumption of FV can be easily implemented in preschools throughout the country, including in rural and low-income areas. TGS program can be used in preschools, kindergarten and first grade classes, after-school programs, and with any program for 2 to 7 year olds, and by parents and other caregivers and on public or children’s TV. The multidimensional influences of the program, the parasocial relationship formed with an animal mascot for healthy eating, and the focus on young children as they establish their eating habits are key aspects of this program.

TGS may help prevent childhood obesity by increasing the appeal of and consumption of FV. Schools and state and federal programs will not waste so many FV and the money spent on them if children are more likely to eat FV rather than throw them away. TGS adds a delightful, quick, and easy-to-use resource to increase children’s consumption of FV and contribute to their current and future health and well-being.