Nutrition Claims Influence Health Perceptions and Taste Preferences in Fourth- and Fifth-Grade Children

doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2012.04.009

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior

Volume 44, Issue 6, November–December 2012, Pages 624-627

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2012.04.009 Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

To determine whether children perceive food with nutrition claims as healthier and tasting differently than those without claims.

Methods

Fourth- and fifth-graders (n = 47) from 3 California schools participated. Two identical products (cookies, crackers, or juice) were placed in front of product packages, 1 with a nutrition claim, the other without. Each child was asked which product was healthier and which tasted better.

Results

The percentage of children who identified the reduced-fat cookie, whole-grain cracker, or 100% juice as healthier was 81%, 83% and 81%, respectively. The taste of the “healthier” product (ie, with nutrition claim) was preferred by 72%, 67%, and 54%, respectively.

Conclusions and Implications

A convenience sample of children perceived products with a nutrition claim as healthier and identified the “healthier” cookies and crackers as tasting better. Future research should examine whether food labeling can be used to encourage children to consume healthier diets.

Introduction

Nutrition claims are a form of marketing often used by manufacturers to make their products appear healthier.¹ These claims have been shown to be effective in influencing adults' preferences and purchase intentions for the advertised items.2, 3 Children have difficulty understanding the persua-sive intent of product marketing, which may make them more suscep-tible than adults to manufacturers' nutrition claims.4, 5, 6 Studies involving children have shown that food advertising increases their requests for food from their parents (the so-called “nag factor” or “pester power”),7, 8 as well as children's preferences for and consumption of advertised food.⁹ For example, in 1 study, approximately 40% of children asked their parents to purchase items they saw on TV advertisements.¹⁰ However, relatively little research has examined the impact of nutrition claims per se on children.

The few studies that have examined the influence of nutrition claims on children have had disparate results. A study done in England with 9- to 11-year-olds showed that children's perceptions of the taste of a beverage changed and their willingness to buy a new beverage decreased when they were told that it was a “health drink.”¹¹ However, in another study, when 10-year-old children were told that a cookie was low fat, they were more likely to choose it over a cookie that was presented as not low fat.¹²

The present study was designed to test: (1) whether fourth- and fifth-grade children believe that products that feature a nutrition claim are healthier than those without such claims; and (2) whether or not the presence of a nutrition claim as an indicator of product healthiness affects the way a child perceives the taste of that product. It was hypothesized that: (1) if 2 products are placed in front of a child—1 with a nutrition claim and the other without (but otherwise identical)—the child will perceive the one with the nutrition claim as being healthier; and (2) the product portrayed as healthier (with a nutrition claim) would be perceived as not tasting as good as the product without the nutrition claim.

Section snippets

Methods

Participants consisted of a convenience sample of fourth- and fifth-grade students recruited from 3 classrooms whose teachers agreed to participate. All students in the selected classrooms were eligible to participate; however, students were required to have a signed parent permission form. The 3 classrooms were from 3 different public elementary schools, 2 in Oakland, California and 1 in Milpitas, California.

Before beginning the study, students were told by a researcher (JS) that the study was

Results

A total of 47 students (out of a total of 85 approached) had completed parent permission forms and agreed to participate in the study. All 47 of the students answered the questions about which products they thought were healthier. Forty-three of the 47 students tasted both products in the reduced-fat cookie comparison, 45 tasted both products in the whole-grain cracker comparison, and 46 tasted both products in the 100% juice comparison. A total of 42 students completed all 3 comparison taste

Discussion

This study found that the fourth- and fifth-grade children in this study perceived products in packages containing a nutrition claim as being healthier than those in packages without such claims. This study also found that a child's evaluation of the taste of a product was influenced by the healthfulness of the product. Even though the 2 products presented in each set of taste tests (cookies, crackers, or juice) were identical and no actual taste differences existed, the children in this study

Implications for Research and Practice

Overall, the results of this study suggest that children in this study selected cookie and cracker products they perceived or were told were healthier as tasting better. This finding implies that they might choose such products on the basis of perceived health. Future research should look at whether similar results are obtained in other populations of children. Additional studies should be conducted on the impact of nutrition claims on child perceptions and preferences using methodology that

Acknowledgments

This work was conducted at the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA. This project was funded by a Sponsored Projects for Undergraduate Research Program grant from the University of California, Berkeley College of Natural Resources. The authors would like to acknowledge Ginny Gildengorin, Tasha Peart, Lauren Heim Goldstein, Susan Kishi, Claudia Olague, and Nori Grossmann for their assistance in completing this project. The authors

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Research BriefNutrition Claims Influence Health Perceptions and Taste Preferences in Fourth- and Fifth-Grade Children

Abstract

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions and Implications

Introduction

Section snippets

Methods

Results

Discussion

Implications for Research and Practice

Acknowledgments

J Nutr Educ Behav

Appetite

J Nutr Educ Behav

J Nutr Educ Behav

Food advertising and marketing directed at children and adolescents in the US

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

Making healthful food choices: the influence of health claims and nutrition information on consumers' evaluation of packaged food products and restaurant menu items

Journal of Marketing

Children's use of cognitive defenses against television advertising: a cognitive response approach

Journal of Consumer Research

Research Brief
Nutrition Claims Influence Health Perceptions and Taste Preferences in Fourth- and Fifth-Grade Children