title: Effect of the Dutch school-based education programme 'Taste Lessons' on behavioural determinants of taste acceptance and healthy eating: a quasi-experimental study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effect of the Dutch school-based education programme 'Taste Lessons' on children's behavioural determinants towards tasting unfamiliar foods and eating healthy and a variety of foods.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a quasi-experimental study design, data on behavioural determinants were collected at baseline, four weeks and six months after the intervention in both the intervention and control group. Children completed consecutively three questionnaires in which knowledge, awareness, skills, attitude, emotion, subjective norm and intention towards the two target behaviours were assessed. Teachers implemented on average a third of the programme activities. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted to compare individual changes in the determinants in the intervention group with those in the control group, corrected for children's gender and age. Effect sizes were expressed as Cohen's d.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dutch elementary schools.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-nine classes (1183 children, 9-12 years old) in grades 5-8 of twenty-one elementary schools.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The intervention group showed a higher increase in knowledge (d=0·26, P<0·01), which persisted after six months (d=0·23, P<0·05). After four weeks, the intervention group showed a higher increase in number of foods known (d=0·22, P<0·05) and tasted (d=0·21, P<0·05), subjective norm of the teacher (d=0·17, P<0·05) and intention (d=0·16, P<0·05) towards the target behaviours.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Partial implementation of Taste Lessons during one school year showed small short-term effects on increasing behavioural determinants in relation to tasting unfamiliar foods and eating healthy and a variety of foods. Full and repeated implementation of Taste Lessons in subsequent years might result in larger effects.
authors.affiliation: 1Division of Human Nutrition,Wageningen University,PO Box 8129,6700EV Wageningen,The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marieke C E
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Battjes-Fries
authors.affiliation: 1Division of Human Nutrition,Wageningen University,PO Box 8129,6700EV Wageningen,The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Annemien
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haveman-Nies
authors.affiliation: 2Division of Strategic Communication,Wageningen University,Wageningen,The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Reint-Jan
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Renes
authors.affiliation: 3Steunpunt Smaaklessen & Schoolgruiten,Division of Food Chemistry,Wageningen University,Wageningen,The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hante J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Meester
authors.affiliation: 1Division of Human Nutrition,Wageningen University,PO Box 8129,6700EV Wageningen,The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van 't Veer
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005518:Food Preferences; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013649:Taste; D055697:Taste Perception
keywords: Eating behaviour; Effect evaluation; Nutrition education; Taste acceptance