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Fruit and vegetables – attitudes and knowledge of primary school children
Author(s) -
Edwards J. S. A.,
Hartwell H. H.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of human nutrition and dietetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.951
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1365-277X
pISSN - 0952-3871
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-277x.2002.00386.x
Subject(s) - medicine , primary (astronomy) , environmental health , physics , astronomy
Objectives To evaluate whether children, aged 8–11 years could correctly identify commonly available fruit and vegetables; to assess the acceptability of these; and to gain a broad understanding of children's perceptions of ‘healthy eating’. Methods Fruit and vegetables used were those readily available in retail outlets in the UK. Data were collected from three year‐groups ( n = 221) using a questionnaire supported by semistructured interviews and discussions. Results Overall, fruit was more popular than vegetables and recognition of fruit better; melons being the least well identified. Recognition of vegetables increased with age; the least well identified being cabbage which was confused with lettuce by 32, 16 and 17% of pupils in their respective age groups. Most children (75%) were familiar with the term healthy eating, citing school (46%) as the most common source of information. Pupils showed an awareness and understanding of current recommendations for a balanced diet, although the message has become confused. Conclusions If fresh fruit and vegetables are to form part of a balanced diet, the ‘health message’ needs to be clear. Fruit is well liked; vegetables are less acceptable with many being poorly recognized, factors which need to be addressed.