title: Next Steps for Science and Policy on Promoting Vegetable Consumption among US Infants and Young Children.
abstract: Vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet for infants and young children, but they are poorly accepted and underconsumed. This paper highlights major themes and research needs for understanding how to raise children to consume and enjoy vegetables as part of a healthful diet. A range of factors impedes US infants and young children from eating as many vegetables as experts consider optimal for child nutrition, health, and development. Barriers include biological and behavioral issues relating to infant and child development, household- and family-related barriers, obstacles in the larger community, economic limitations, and some government policies and programs. These barriers must be removed to encourage children to eat more vegetables. Research gaps also must be filled. We summarize the basic and applied research that is needed to craft more effective messages, devise strategies for parents and other child caretakers to take within households, develop action in the larger community, and modify some government policies and programs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, College of Public Health, Center for Obesity Research and Education, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA; and.
authors.forename: Jennifer O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and Jean Mayer/USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA dwyerj1@od.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Johanna T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Dwyer
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D004032:Diet; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D012586:Science; D014481:United States; D014675:Vegetables
keywords: barriers; consumption; food acceptance; infants and children; nutrition policy; vegetable eating