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Do children really eat what they like? Relationships between liking and intake across laboratory test-meals
This 2022 study focused on the link between liking foods and drinks, with the consumption of these same items among a sample of children. Although liking plays a major role in determining what and how much children eat, there have been a limited number of studies that have analyzed the relationship between hedonic (pleasure) ratings and food intake among kids. In this present study, 4–6-year-olds were asked how much they liked 7 different foods (chicken nuggets, ketchup, potato chips, grapes, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, cookie) and drinks (fruit punch and milk). Subsequently, the 61 participants were allowed to eat and drink as much of these foods and beverages as they desired. The liking for potato chips, grapes, cherry tomatoes, and fruit punch were all positively associated with the quantity consumed by these kids. In other words, children with higher liking for these foods and drinks were more likely to ingest more. But this trend was not seen for the other items examined. Tests were repeated on the same subjects at different points in time. For most of the items, test-retest reliability of liking and intake were significant. The children’s hedonic ratings were reliable and were found to modestly predict subsequent consumption. This relationship was stronger for lower energy, less well-liked food items. Rather than eating based on liking, these results more strongly supported the notion that children do not eat what they dislike. [NPID: behavior, taste, food preferences, children, hedonic ratings, diet, food liking]
Year: 2022
