Toddler Tastes for Dietary Behavior

(TTS Trial)

Overseen By Stephanie Anzman-Frasca, PhD

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: State University of New York at Buffalo

Disqualifiers: Physical, mental health conditions, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 11

40 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Do I need to stop my child's current medications for the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking current medications. It seems focused on food preferences, so it's unlikely that medications would need to be stopped, but please check with the trial organizers to be sure.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Associative conditioning, Modeling in the Toddler Tastes for Dietary Behavior clinical trial?

Research shows that repeated exposure to vegetables can increase children's liking and intake of them, even if they initially dislike them. Associative conditioning, which involves pairing disliked vegetables with liked foods, can help encourage initial tasting, especially in older children. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is associative conditioning safe for children?

The research suggests that associative conditioning, which involves pairing a disliked food with a liked one to increase preference, is generally safe for children. Studies have shown it can help increase children's liking and intake of vegetables without any reported safety concerns. ^{1 2 6 7 8}

How does the treatment 'Associative conditioning, Modeling' differ from other treatments for improving toddler dietary behavior?

This treatment is unique because it uses associative conditioning, which involves pairing new flavors with already-liked flavors to gradually increase acceptance and preference for healthy foods, like vegetables, in toddlers. Unlike other methods that may rely solely on exposure, this approach actively uses positive associations to encourage healthier eating habits. ^{2 6 9 10 11}

What is the purpose of this trial?

The goal of this study is to determine the feasibility and acceptability of two food preference learning approaches for toddlers that could serve as alternatives to mere repeated exposure to new or previously disliked foods. The target population is toddlers who score higher on food fussiness. The study is a two-group randomized controlled trial. Families will be randomized to 1 of 2 study groups: associative conditioning, or the child tasting vegetables alongside a palatable dip, or modeling, in which the child and parent taste vegetables together. Both groups will attend two laboratory visits, one before and one after a 4-week exposure period, and will be asked to complete 8 vegetable tastings in accordance with their assigned condition across the 4 intervention weeks. Key questions to be addressed are: * summarizing the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention strategies * assessing whether children's liking and intake of the target food increase from baseline to post-intervention

Eligibility Criteria

The Toddler Tastes Study is for toddlers who are picky eaters and come from low-income families. The study aims to find new ways to help these kids like vegetables more by trying two different methods over a month.

Inclusion Criteria

Family has annual household income that is less than or equal to 200% of the federal poverty line

Child is high on food fussiness, defined as a 2.5 or above on the food fussiness scale of the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire for toddlers

I am the main person taking care of the child.

Exclusion Criteria

Child is diagnosed with a physical or mental health condition that precludes safe or feasible participation

The parent/guardian participating is not the primary caregiver of the child

Family has annual household income that is greater than 200% of the federal poverty line

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

1 visit (in-person)

Baseline Assessment

Baseline laboratory visit where informed consent is obtained, and initial assessments of children's liking and intake of vegetables are conducted.

1 hour

1 visit (in-person)

Intervention

Participants undergo 4 weeks of intervention with 8 vegetable tastings, either through associative conditioning or modeling.

4 weeks

8 tastings (at home)

Post-intervention Assessment

Post-intervention laboratory visit to assess changes in children's liking and intake of vegetables, and conduct parent interviews.

1 hour

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for any additional feedback and long-term effects of the intervention.

4 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Associative conditioning
• Modeling

Trial Overview This trial tests two food preference learning approaches: associative conditioning, where toddlers try veggies with tasty dips; and modeling, where they eat veggies together with their parents. Progress will be checked before and after the four-week period.

Participant Groups

Group I: Modeling (Parent and Me tastings) Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Child is offered a vegetable to taste while their parent/caregiver also tastes it and models enjoying it, over 8 occasions. Tastings occur at home with the parent serving and tasting the vegetable following standard scripting.

Group II: Associative conditioning (Veggie and Dip tastings) Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Child is offered a vegetable to taste with a palatable dip, over 8 occasions. Tastings occur at home with the parent serving the vegetable and following standard scripting.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

State University of New York at Buffalo

Lead Sponsor

Trials

279

Recruited

52,600+

National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

Collaborator

Trials

394

Recruited

404,000+

References

1. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Repeated exposure and associative conditioning promote preschool children's liking of vegetables. [2022]

2. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Teaching children to like and eat vegetables. [2015]

3. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Measurement of external food cue responsiveness in preschool-age children: Preliminary evidence for the use of the external food cue responsiveness scale. [2022]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Promoting healthy food preferences from the start: a narrative review of food preference learning from the prenatal period through early childhood. [2019]

5. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Examining associative conditioning with a positive peer context as a strategy to increase children's vegetable acceptance. [2021]

6. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Children's hard-wired aversion to pure vegetable tastes. A 'failed' flavour-nutrient learning study. [2009]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Development of learned flavor preferences. [2019]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A sensitive period for learning about food. [2021]

9. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The postingestive consequences of fat condition preferences for flavors associated with high dietary fat. [2019]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Conditioned preferences: young children prefer flavors associated with high dietary fat. [2019]

11. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Promoting children's healthy eating in obesogenic environments: Lessons learned from the rat. [2021]