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The effectiveness of e-storybook on children’s vegetable acceptance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2024

N.D Mohd Nor ,
M. Che Mustafa  and
J. Bacotang
N.D Mohd Nor
Affiliation:
Department of Early Childhood Education, Faculty of Human Development, Sultan Idris Education University, Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia
M. Che Mustafa
Affiliation:
Department of Early Childhood Education, Faculty of Human Development, Sultan Idris Education University, Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia
J. Bacotang
Affiliation:
Fakulti Psikologi dan Pendidikan, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
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Abstract

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A diet high in fruit and vegetables is beneficial to reduce the risk of many diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers and hypertension(1,2). However, reports show that vegetable consumption among children is still low. Intervention must be made to encourage children to eat more vegetables as a dietary pattern in childhood will determine a dietary pattern in adulthood(3). This current study investigated the effects of an e-storybook on children’s vegetable acceptance.

Sixty-five parents and their children aged 4 to 7 years participated in this study and they were divided into 2 groups. Parents in an experimental group read an e-storybook about a target vegetable (asparagus) with their child for 10 days, while the control group did not receive an e-book. Parents in both groups were asked to offer the target vegetable and a match control vegetable (peas) before and after the intervention and record their child’s vegetable intake (measured using a 6-point scale) and liking (measured using a 6-point scale).

In the experimental group, liking of target vegetable increased from 2.5 ± 1.5 to 3.0 ± 1.4 (p = 0.01), but not for control vegetable. There was a tendency that intake of target vegetable increased following exposure to the e-storybook, from 1.6 ± 1.6 to 1.9 ± 1.7 (p=0.052), but there was no significant increase in intake for control vegetable. While in the control group, there were no significant increases in intake and liking for both vegetables post-intervention. When comparing means between groups, there were no significant differences in intake and liking at pre-intervention, however at post-intervention, there was a significant difference in intake (p=0.02), where the intervention group had a higher intake than the control group by 0.9 ± 1.9. There was also a significant difference in liking between these groups at post-intervention (p=0.001), where the intervention group had a higher liking than the control group by 1.1 ± 1.8.

Results suggest that e-storybooks are an effective strategy for parents to use to increase vegetable acceptance in children.

Type
Abstract
Information
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society , Volume 83 , Issue OCE2: Winter Conference 2023, 5-6 December 2023, Diet and lifestyle strategies for prevention and management of multimorbidity , June 2024 , E239
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society

References

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