Exposure to milk or water at preschool lunch for 3 months influences children's choice of elementary school lunch drink 4 months later.
The purpose was to study if serving milk or water with the lunch at preschool influenced 6- to 7-year-old children's preferences for and later choice between milk and water at lunch in elementary school later. Children (n = 147) at 12 daycare centres were usually served water at lunch but, for 3 months, six randomly chosen centres served milk at lunch (Intervention group) and six matched centres continued serving water (Control group). The groups did not differ with respect to preferences for seven types of beverages (including water and four varieties of milk) either before or after the intervention. Four and 12 months later, their choice of lunch drink (milk or water) at school was studied for two 5-week periods. At the 4-month assessment, the children in the Intervention group chose milk at lunch significantly more often than did those in the Control group (92% vs. 81% of the days), while there were no significant differences at 12 months (85% vs. 81%). Since there were no demonstrable effects on preferences, one interpretation of the results is that children tend to associate the type of drink regularly served at a meal with that specific meal.
Koivisto
U K
UK
Centre for Caring Sciences, University of Uppsala, Sweden.
Edlund
B
B
Sjödén
P O
PO
D000818:Animals; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology; D005522:Food Services; D005526:Food, Formulated; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008612:Menu Planning; D008892:Milk; D013997:Time Factors; D014867:Water
D014867:Water