Improving Children’s Diets by Introducing Fruits and Vegetables in Group-Based Settings: A Scoping Review

CONTEXT: In 2022, less than 18% of UK children aged 5-7 years consumed 5 portions of fruit and vegetables, with an average intake of 3 portions per day. Group settings (eg, schools or nurseries) present an opportunity to apply policies to encourage children's consumption of novel and healthy foods.

OBJECTIVE: The extent and types of evidence regarding efforts to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables by young children in group settings who reside in high-income countries was investigated in this scoping review.

DATA SOURCES: A systematic scoping review was conducted that followed the JBI guidelines and included articles, published from 2012 onward, about methods to increase consumption of novel and/or healthy foods by children aged 3-7 years in settings within local government control and who were residing in high-income countries.

DATA EXTRACTION: A total of 7000 articles were initially identified, of which 114 were included in this review after screening.

DATA ANALYSIS: Intervention methods included an array of different techniques from educational programs to repeated exposure, food modification, and behavioral modeling approaches.

CONCLUSION: Interventions administered to children aged between 3 and 7 years in group-based settings have been shown to improve the consumption of healthy foods, specifically fruits and vegetables. Behavioral modeling and sensory play interventions, in particular, present the highest level of success.