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Nutrients
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Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Children’s Health
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Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Children’s Health

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 August 2024) | Viewed by 4100

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Seng Hock Quak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 10 Medical Dr, Singapore 117597, Singapore
Interests: fruit and vegetables; dietary intake; probiotics; children's health; gut health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fruits and vegetables are an integral part of the human diet. Although they are not as critical as other food groups such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates, their importance to human health cannot be ignored.

The importance of fruits and vegetables in gut health has been realized in recent years. A lack of intake can lead to a number of organic and functional disorders. These include functional gastrointestinal disorders such as recurrent abdominal pain, constipation and bloating, as well as organic disorders including mineral and vitamin deficiencies, and chronic inflammation.

This Special Issue will focus on the role of fruits and vegetables in children's health, mainly in children's gut health. The scope of the issue will include, but is not limited to, exploring and validating the risk or beneficial factors related to children's health. We welcome you to contribute a review or article to this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Seng Hock Quak
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fruit
  • vegetable
  • children
  • gut health
  • functional GI disorders
  • chronic inflammation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 510 KiB  
Article
Selective Feeding—An Under-Recognised Contributor to Picky Eating
by Terri X. B. Chiong, Michelle L. N. Tan, Tammy S. H. Lim, Seng Hock Quak and Marion M. Aw
Nutrients 2024, 16(21), 3608; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16213608 - 24 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1966
Abstract
Background: Amongst children presenting to an interdisciplinary clinic with complaints of picky eating, we aim to identify the proportion who have underlying selective feeding and to describe its implications on growth and nutrition, as well as parental coping responses. Methods: We [...] Read more.
Background: Amongst children presenting to an interdisciplinary clinic with complaints of picky eating, we aim to identify the proportion who have underlying selective feeding and to describe its implications on growth and nutrition, as well as parental coping responses. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of first-visit consults from January 2020 to July 2022. Caregiver and child mealtime behaviours were assessed using the standardised Caregiver’s Feeding Styles Questionnaire (CFSQ) and by direct observation. Caloric intake and oromotor skills were assessed by dietitians and speech therapists, respectively. Medical concerns were addressed by the doctor. Results: Out of 152 children referred for concerns of “picky eating”, 128 (84.2%) were diagnosed as having selective eating, while the rest were diagnosed with delayed oromotor skills, poor appetite, oral aversion and 4 were deemed to have normal feeding behaviour for their age. Of the 128 selective eaters, 67 (52%) children had comorbidities such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (n = 59), attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) (n = 2) and underlying medical conditions (n = 6). The remaining 61 children were “otherwise well”. Of the “otherwise well” children, 47.5% had inadequate caloric intake and 31% had failure to thrive. The commonest feeding style among caregivers of “otherwise well” picky eaters was authoritarian (36%). The majority (80%) of these caregivers also experienced helplessness. Conclusions: We conclude that picky eating in young children is a symptom with several possible underlying aetiologies. It is associated with nutritional consequences for the child and significant stress on caregivers. Being able to recognise those who need referral for specialist intervention and multidisciplinary management (such as selective feeding and delayed oromotor skills) would be important. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Children’s Health)
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16 pages, 1119 KiB  
Article
Effectiveness of the CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child’s Health) Rainbow Program in Elementary Schools for Change in Fruit and Vegetable Intake
by Henna Muzaffar, Ashley Valinskas, Ashley Werner, Nora Collins and Melanie Regan
Nutrients 2024, 16(19), 3283; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16193283 - 27 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1701
Abstract
Background: Nutrition, cooking, and gardening lessons individually and together have been shown to increase fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption in school-aged children. The CATCH Rainbow program incorporated nutrition education, cooking, and gardening lessons aimed at increasing FV consumption in elementary school-aged children and [...] Read more.
Background: Nutrition, cooking, and gardening lessons individually and together have been shown to increase fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption in school-aged children. The CATCH Rainbow program incorporated nutrition education, cooking, and gardening lessons aimed at increasing FV consumption in elementary school-aged children and assessed changes in participants’ BMI, self-reported FV consumption, and skin carotenoid levels at baseline and post-intervention. Methods: Two-hundred and twenty-five 4th and 5th graders (mean age: 9.8 years and 52% male participants) at Genoa Elementary School participated in six cooking and six gardening sessions between September 2021 and May 2022. Each nutrition education session was 25 min long, paired with either hands-on cooking activities or gardening skills. At baseline and post-intervention, participants’ height and weight were assessed with a stadiometer/scale, and skin carotenoid measurement was taken by a Veggie Meter® (Longevity Link Corporation (Salt Lake City, UT, USA)). Students also completed the Block Food Frequency Questionnaire to self-report FV consumption at both time points. Focus groups were conducted with children at the end of the program for qualitative feedback. Results: paired samples T-test and regression analysis results indicate no significant decrease in BMI or significant increase in skin carotenoid scores from pre- to post-intervention. However, though not significant, there was an increase in self-reported FV intake by 0.4 servings. Additionally, the qualitative feedback was positive, as children mentioned benefits of healthy eating and expressed enjoyment for growing, cooking, and tasting fruits and vegetables. Conclusions: Results from this study can be used to guide future cooking and gardening programs for elementary school children. Time of the year when implementing these programs and collecting data may impact study outcomes due to seasonal variations in fruit and vegetable intake. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Children’s Health)
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