Picture books can teach children about nutrition

Teaching nutrition at a young age is crucial in the fight against the obesity epidemic in the United States. Researchers have studied how certain picture books affect the nutritional choices of children.

Led by Oksana Matvienko, PhD, of the School of Kinesiology, Allied Health and Human Services at the University of Northern Iowa, the research team selected an array of fiction books published between 2000 and 2016 for children between 4 and 8 years old to examine what types of books work best for teaching healthy eating. The findings were published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

The team evaluated 104 books that included dietary behaviors and found that 50 percent mentioned specific eating behavior, 21 percent included lifestyle or eating patterns, 20 percent had food-related sensations and emotions and 9 percent discussed table manners. Still, these books varied in their delivery of their messages with some being direct while other were not comprehendible to a younger audience.

“The books had positive messages about good eating habits that were communicated in creative, clever, believable, child-friendly, non-preachy and non-forceful manners, which is what parents prefer," said Matvienko. "Picture books are a promising tool for improving children's eating habits, but practitioners should evaluate the book's clarity, accuracy and strength before making recommendations.”