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Vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet because they help prevent several chronic diseases. Mothers of preschoolers reported difficulty getting their young children to eat vegetables, and many did not know how to cook child-pleasing recipes.
The cooking habits of mothers of preschoolers, their perceptions of recipes designed for their children, and the involvement of their children in food preparation were assessed to inform a food parenting video game called
A cross-sectional survey design was used. Eligibility criteria included mothers of 3- to 5-year-old children who reported difficulty getting their children to eat vegetables. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire with questions about their food preparation practices. They were asked to select up to 4 of the 10 provided recipes they wanted to try and to prepare and report back on their experiences.
Most (46) of the 50 recipes included in
The high rate of home recipe preparation indicated that including a recipe selection and preparation component in a food parenting video game could be attractive and may enhance effectiveness. Mothers reported that the recipes provided were generally easy to prepare, tasted good, and the instructions were easy to understand, suggesting they could be helpful to the mothers when playing a vegetable parenting game. Some mothers reported that involving their children in recipe preparation influenced their children’s willingness to eat the vegetables. The highest rated recipes are being included in the game, and mothers will be encouraged to involve their children in recipe preparation.
Vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet because they help prevent several chronic diseases [
Interactive media, including video games, have been shown to advance parenting skills [
This study assessed the following: (1) the cooking habits of mothers of preschoolers who had difficulties getting their children to eat vegetables, (2) the acceptability and usefulness of potential recipes in a vegetable parenting game (ie,
A cross-sectional Web-based questionnaire of parents of 3- to 5-year-old children was followed by testing and evaluating recipes; the recipe evaluations were reported in an online questionnaire. Eligible participants included mothers who reported difficulty getting their children to eat vegetables. Mothers who reported no difficulty with vegetables or noted that their children did not live with them most of the time were excluded. Participants were recruited from a panel of mothers who had participated in prior formative research for the
A list of 10 vegetables (potato, broccoli, pepper, corn, carrot, tomato, zucchini, spinach, green beans, and cucumber) most frequently consumed by 3- to 5-year-olds was generated from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Recipes that included these and many other nutritious vegetables were collected primarily from our prior projects and public websites [
A 3D representation of a home and a grocery store allows a child character (nicknamed “Kiddio”), a dog, and a male adult character to roam the house. The nonplayer characters are controlled by artificial intelligence algorithms. The player assumes the role and point of view of the child’s mother. Player exploration (walking around, opening cabinets, operating kitchen appliances, etc) is permitted and expected. The player primarily interacts with Kiddio, a preschool-aged character, who prompts the player to act by saying “I’m hungry.” As shown in
Initiate food preparation.
Recipe box.
Recipes.
Nutrient content of recipes.
Each participant first completed a demographic and screening questionnaire that included the questions listed in
Quantitative data were analyzed using the statistical analysis system (SAS version 9.4, SAS Inc, Cary, NC). Descriptive statistics were used to calculate frequencies and percentages. Answers to open-ended questions were coded using thematic analysis [
A nonrepresentative sample of 27 mothers of 3- to 5-year-old children participated in the study. They included mothers who had contributed to prior formative research for the
Sample demographic characteristics for selection survey (N=27).
Characteristics | n (%) | |
Male | 20 (74) | |
Female | 7 (26) | |
High school graduate or general equivalency diploma | 1 (4) | |
Technical school | 1 (4) | |
Some college | 6 (22) | |
College student | 7 (26) | |
Postgraduate study | 12 (44) | |
Married or living with someone else | 21 (78) | |
Single, never married | 4 (15) | |
Divorced, separated, or widowed | 2 (7) | |
Yes | 21 (78) | |
No | 6 (22) | |
I work full time outside the home | 17 (63) | |
I work full time at home for pay | 0 (0) | |
I work part time outside the home | 3 (11) | |
I work part time at home for a pay | 0 (0) | |
I am a student | 0 (0) | |
I am a stay-at-home mom | 7 (26) | |
Less than US $30,000 | 5 (19) | |
US $30,000 to US $60,000 | 6 (22) | |
Over US $60,000 | 16 (59) |
Most of these mothers (52%) made lunches for their children on weekends only and reported diverse frequencies of preparing snacks for their children but provided dinner or supper at home most days of the week (59%;
Food preparation skills and practices from the screening survey (N=27).
Survey questions | n (%) | |
I am an excellent cook and love to cook from scratch | 4 (15) | |
I can cook but prefer to use very simple, quick recipes | 17 (63) | |
I can cook when I have to, but I don’t like to cook | 4 (15) | |
I can cook if I use mostly premade dishes or mixes | 0 (0) | |
I can cook a little, but I’m not very confident in my kitchen skills | 2 (7) | |
I can’t cook | 0 (0) | |
Post 7 days/week | 5 (19) | |
Most days of the week | 6 (22) | |
Weekends only | 14 (52) | |
None | 2 (7) | |
Other | 0 (0) | |
Make a meal mostly from scratch using various recipes | 5 (19) | |
Find quick, easy to make foods (eg, salads, leftovers, sandwiches, and simple recipes) | 21 (78) | |
We eat a lot of fast food or deli take-out, something quick | 1 (4) | |
Several times a day, every day | 8 (30) | |
Once a day, 7 days/week | 8 (30) | |
Most days of the week | 8 (30) | |
Weekends only | 3 (11) | |
None | 0 (0) | |
Other | 0 (0) | |
I serve finger foods, mostly food other than fruit and vegetables (eg, prepackaged snacks, lunchables, and heat and eat type of foods) | 12 (44) | |
I serve mostly fruit and vegetables | 11 (41) | |
I use recipes to make snacks from scratch | 0 (0.0) | |
Other | 4 (15) | |
7 days/week | 10 (37) | |
Most days of the week | 16 (59) | |
Weekends only | 0 (0) | |
None | 0 (0) | |
Other | 1 (4) | |
I make a meal mostly from scratch using various recipes | 17 (63) | |
I find quick, easy to make foods (eg, meal mixes, preprepared foods from restaurants or grocery store, and heat and serve foods) | 6 (22) | |
We eat a lot of fast food or restaurant take-out, something quick and easy | 2 (7) | |
Other | 2 (7) |
A subsample of 20 mothers evaluated a total of 46 recipes. Each recipe was evaluated at least once and up to 5 times with a total of 85 evaluations of the 46 recipes. The recipes were well received. A total of 13 recipes received a mean recipe rating of 5 (“Loved it”), with another 13 receiving a 4 or higher rating (“Liked It”). Of these top 26 recipes, 20 recipes were rated as “very easy to prepare” and another 8 recipes rated as “somewhat easy.” A diverse variety of vegetables were rated at the higher end of the mean recipe rating scale. The same diversity was true for the vegetables at the lower end of the scale, suggesting no one or two vegetables dominated the positive or negative ratings. Furthermore, 4 recipes were not selected for testing by at least one mother. No obvious pattern can be discerned as to why these were not selected, except possibly for “spiciness” in the title of one recipe. Neither the number of ingredients nor the reported ease of preparation appeared to be associated with the recipe ratings. As would be expected, the taste of the recipe was related to the mean overall recipe rating, and the instructions were generally easily understood.
Less than half of the parents (45%) had prepared a similar dish before. When asked how likely it was that they would make each dish, 46% of the parents reported that the dishes would definitely be made and 35% reported that they might be made. In addition, 61% of the parents indicated they had all of the ingredients at home needed to prepare the recipes. Moreover, 74% of the parents reported that the recipe instructions were “very easy to follow with few ingredients” and easy to prepare (87%):
My family loves chick peas and hummus; it is pricey to buy it already made. I always wanted to learn how to make it, but I thought it was difficult, but this recipe proved me wrong.
Many reported that the ingredients were inexpensive:
Peppers have great benefits and usually they are on sale.
Most parents (81%) liked the finished recipes. Parents mentioned that they enjoyed learning new ways to prepare vegetables:
A different way of preparing veggies is always nice.
Other parents appreciated the new take on old recipes:
It was easy and something similar to what I have made before, just without lemons.
Multiple parents evaluated the recipes according to the time needed for preparation or expressed a concern about long preparation time:
It was simple and did not take a lot of time to cook.
The recipe was very easy to follow. It just takes a lot of time.
The preparation took longer than I expected.
One of the mothers commented on the need for only basic equipment:
I really liked this recipe. It was different and very easy. Love that I only had to use one pot.
Alternatively, another mother commented on the food preparation skills needed to prepare one of the recipes:
It was extremely difficult to cut the squash. It was hard and difficult to control or hold still. The deseeding was like trying to clean out a pumpkin—very messy.
Some parents said they liked that the recipes were a healthier version of some foods they already consumed:
I liked it, it was easy to make. It’s a healthier substitution for any dip...
It is a great recipe. I usually hate the salty pizzas from stores although we have to eat them once in a while. The recipe is simple and I can add salt as little as I want.
The 3- to 5-year-old children were involved in preparing 51% of the recipes. One of the participants stated:
It was easy to do with the kids, very few ingredients all in one baking dish. They enjoyed the experience.
Participants indicated that children helped by washing vegetables; adding ingredients to the blender, bowls, or pots; or measuring or mixing ingredients. Some participants commented on how children’s involvement in the preparation of the recipes influenced their willingness to try the foods:
She was very proud to serve what she made and she made her siblings excited about helping with meals as well.
...did not want to try them but since she helped making the recipe and the 3-year-old ate all of his, she went ahead and ate them once I gave her ranch yogurt dressing to dip them in.
Approximately 88% of the children tasted the finished recipes and 73% ate them. Prior food preferences were mentioned as an important factor when children decided to try their food:
He doesn’t dislike broccoli so it wasn’t hard to ask him to try.
They hate the taste of pepper, so I was not able to make them eat even a bite.
Some mothers mentioned how the method of preparation influenced their children’s consumption of the recipe:
Both of my children enjoyed the recipe more than I expected. The small cubes of potatoes really helped them eat it better.
My child had a hard time handling the corn and eating it off the cob.
The final presentation of the recipe was also relevant:
It was a very different pasta recipe for him, he loved that it had corn and beans and it is very colorful.
He didn’t want to try it at all, maybe because it looked boring
Spicy flavors were not popular among 3- to 5-year-old children:
For my little people, cayenne pepper is not a spice they prefer, so I think it’s an odd seasoning in this recipe. I even cut it in half and still had complaints about being too spicy...
Another mother mentioned:
Kids were afraid to try at first because they thought it would be spicy.
Only 40% of the participants modified the different recipes when evaluating them. These modifications were made because of the family food preferences. They commented:
We don’t like the taste of parsley so I used a purple leaf...don’t know the name of it but it is my 3-year-old’s favorite vegetable growing in our backyard.
We added olives. We always add olives to the pizza. My kids insist.
When asked if they would modify the recipe before they make it again, 54% said they would:
I would add something to make it more flavorful. The red peppers were good and the lemon juice, but even after adding salt and pepper I would have added more spices or other veggies to make it have a more flavorful taste.
The small potatoes I bought for the recipe inspired me. I want to try to make them tastier.
This sample of 27 well-educated and mostly employed mothers of preschoolers regularly cooked at home, unlike most families in the United States [
Of the 50 recipes offered, 46 were tested by at least one mother. A total of 41 recipes received scores above the median possible recipe score (2.5), with 13 receiving the highest rating (5) and 18 receiving the next highest rating (4-4.5). This suggests that an ample number of tasty, easy-to-understand and prepare recipes are available for incorporating into
Some participants (15%) reported that the recipes were healthier versions of foods they currently ate. However, mothers’ primary perceived barrier to preparing the recipes was the time required. In 2015 in the United States, 59% of all women and 70% of mothers with children under the age of 18 years were employed outside their home [
Older children (aged 6-10 years) who participated in the food preparation process ate significantly more salad 42 g (76%) than the ones where only the parent prepared, likely because of enhanced feelings of autonomy and pride [
The mothers in this study mentioned that the way ingredients were presented was an important factor in a kid friendly recipe. The need to cut food into 0.5-inch chunks to avoid choking hazards [
Research has indicated that preexisting child food preferences were a major determinant of intake [
As the game’s name suggests,
We found that the high rate of home recipe preparation indicated that including a recipe selection and preparation component in a food parenting video game could be attractive and may enhance effectiveness. Mothers reported that the recipes provided were generally easy to prepare, tasted good, and the instructions were easy to understand, suggesting they could be helpful to the mothers when playing a vegetable parenting game. Some mothers reported that involving their children in recipe preparation influenced their children’s willingness to eat the vegetables. The highest rated recipes are being included in the game, and mothers will be encouraged to involve their children in recipe preparation.
three-dimensional
United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service
This work was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD075521). This work is also a publication of the United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS) Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; it has been funded, in part, with federal funds from the USDA/ARS under Cooperative Agreement No. 58-3092-5-001.
RB is the president of Archimage, Inc, the company making