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Existing literature exposes poor eating habits and low vegetable consumption as rife amongst adolescents. Increased autonomy in relation to decision-making around food often follows the onset of secondary school education. Studies have shown that adolescents are vulnerable to peer pressure because they want to fit in with their peers. The aim of this research was to develop a detailed insight into young adolescents’ (aged 11- to 13-years-old) behaviour concerning vegetables through exploratory research. The findings will inform the vegetable marketing of the company partner, Puffin Produce (who currently package Welsh fresh produce for supermarkets across Wales). A triangulated research methodology incorporated quantitative and qualitative data collection predominantly from schools in South Wales. Phase One involved collecting data from school canteen purchases (n=3 secondary schools), qualitative school catering manager interviews (n=6), catering staff focus groups (n=14) and parent focus groups (n=5). Phase Two included school canteen observations (n=3 secondary schools) and adolescent focus groups (n=42). A design period preceded the participatory design research with adolescents (n=41) and final parent focus groups (n=16) (Phase Three). Abductive thematic analysis resulted in numerous themes, the three most pertinent being convenience, taste preferences and parenting. This study fills three identified ‘gaps’ in the literature: the novel use of catering staff participants, the geographical research area of South Wales and the incorporation of adolescents in the participatory design research. The original contributions to knowledge includes an understanding into the factors influencing Welsh adolescents’ (aged 11- to 13-years-old) attitudes towards vegetables in addition to their food consumption routines and behaviours. Moreover, these insights are of commercial interest and could potentially inform the marketing communications of food companies seeking to target this market and improve healthful eating. The NPD process resulted in a vegetable-based snacking concept that is innovative yet feasible, suitable for Puffin Produce to develop further.

This thesis aimed to investigate the potential to increase young children s vegetable consumption by using caregivers as facilitators. This was achieved in two parts. Part I set out to investigate whether parent led interventions using three known successful methods of offering can be effective for increasing children s acceptance of a disliked vegetable. Three studies were conducted for Part I. The first tested the efficacy of these interventions, the second investigated the role of individual factors in intervention success, and the third examined the longitudinal efficacy of such interventions over two, six and 12 months. The findings suggested that parent led home-based interventions may be successful for increasing children s acceptance of disliked vegetables in the short-term, and that such interventions may be more successful for children who are more sociable and less fussy eaters. While these interventions may not be successful for sustained long-term changes, there was a lack of statistical power for these analyses and further studies with larger samples are required. Part II of the thesis sought to investigate the wider variety of methods which caregivers use to offer vegetables to their children, as well as the possible barriers to offering. These studies worked towards informing the design of future interventions as well as providing information for caregivers on achieving a healthful diet in their children. This was achieved via two studies which used qualitative and quantitative methods. One study used focus groups to gather a comprehensive report of caregivers methods of offering, as well as caregivers perceived influences on how and whether they offer their child vegetables. Methods of offering vegetables formed three main categories: active/behavioural methods, passive methods, and food manipulations. The influences on offering which caregivers perceived formed four categories: information, cost, caregiver factors, and child factors. These methods and influences were then assessed in a large scale cross-sectional study. This study examined which methods caregivers perceive as successful for encouraging consumption of vegetables, as well as assessing predictors of offering vegetables and children s vegetable consumption. Caregiver factors predicted reoffering of rejected vegetables while a combination of caregiver and child factors predicted children s consumption of vegetables. A number of discrepancies were found between methods caregivers perceived as successful and those which were associated with greater consumption of vegetables. As food fussiness was identified as a significant factor in children s consumption of vegetables, a final study investigated whether children categorised as fussy or not fussy with vegetables differed on a number of caregiver and child factors. Differences were found between these groups on both caregiver and child factors. Using a mixed methodology, the research in this thesis investigates possibilities for increasing vegetable consumption in early childhood and highlights the central role or caregivers in this process. Together, these findings suggest utility of whole family interventions aimed at increasing vegetable consumption, as well as providing caregivers with information on how best to offer vegetables to children of this age.

Objective: To evaluate habit formation for parenting practices to improve child vegetable intake. Study Design: Within group, pre-/post- test design, low-income parent/child pairs (n = 44). Six practices intended to be implemented at home to encourage child vegetable consumption were incorporated into 6 Cooking Matters for Families classes. Outcome Measures and Analysis: Habit strength was measured one week after introduction and immediately post-intervention using a Self-Report Habit Index. Paired t-tests were used to compare habit strength for the 6 strategies. Multiple regression models were created for each strategy to determine associations between habit strength and environmental, behavioral, and individual factors. Results: Habit strength increased from post-introduction to post-intervention for 3 practices. Four mediating variables significantly predicted habit strength. Conclusions: This approach was effective in helping parents develop habitual practices to encourage vegetable consumption among children. Further evaluation is needed to determine whether these habitual practices can improve child vegetable intake.

BACKGROUND: Fruits and vegetables are important sources of fiber and nutrients with a recognized antioxidant capacity, which could have beneficial effects on the proinflammatory status as well as some metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease features. The current study assessed the potential relationships of fruit and vegetable consumption with the plasma concentrations and mRNA expression values of some proinflammatory markers in young adults. METHODS: One-hundred and twenty healthy subjects (50 men/70 women; 20.8 +/- 2.6 y; 22.3 +/- 2.8 kg/m2) were enrolled. Experimental determinations included anthropometry, blood pressure and lifestyle features as well as blood biochemical and inflammatory measurements. The mRNA was isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and the gene expression concerning selected inflammatory markers was assessed by quantitative real-time PCR. Nutritional intakes were estimated by a validated semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: The highest tertile of energy-adjusted fruit and vegetable consumption (>660 g/d) was associated with lower plasma concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine and with lower ICAM1, IL1R1, IL6, TNFalpha and NFkappaB1 gene expression in PBMC (P for trend < 0.05), independently of gender, age, energy intake, physical activity, smoking, body mass index, systolic blood pressure and circulating non-esterified fatty acids. In addition, plasma CRP, homocysteine and TNFalpha concentrations and ICAM1, TNFalpha and NFkappaB1 gene expression in PBMC showed a descending trend as increased fiber intake (>19.5 g/d) from fruits and vegetables (P for trend < 0.05). Furthermore, the participants within the higher tertile (>11.8 mmol/d) of dietary total antioxidant capacity showed lower plasma CRP and mRNA values of ICAM1, IL1R1, IL6, TNFalpha and NFkappaB1 genes (P for trend < 0.05). The inverse association between fruit and vegetable consumption and study proinflammatory markers followed the same trend and remained statistically significant, after the inclusion of other foods/nutrients in the linear regression models. CONCLUSION: A higher fruit and vegetable consumption was independently associated not only with reduced CRP and homocysteine concentrations but also with a lower mRNA expression in PBMC of some relevant proinflammatory markers in healthy young adults.

Background: The dietary choices we make as adults are greatly influenced by our food exposures during childhood. Most Americans do not meet the daily recommendations for vegetables. Diets low in the nutrients found in vegetables have been linked to chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. It is important to introduce a variety of vegetables in infancy so that affinity for vegetables may be permanently established early on.Curricula: Two curricula were developed, one for breast-feeding mothers and one for bottle-feeding mothers. Both curricula include three modules of information designed to increase the vegetable consumption of the mothers and their children. Behavior modification guidance, patterned after the Social Cognitive Theory, is incorporated at the end of each module. Evaluation: Evaluation of the breastfeeding curriculum found the mothers goals and objectives were clearly defined. Both curricula effectively supply the information each mother needs to increase her family’s vegetable intake.

Background: Overweight (BMI greater than 25) and obesity (BMI greater than 30) have reached epidemic proportions in the United States, positioning obesity at the forefront of the nation's health agenda as a critical public health threat. The pregnancy and post-partum periods in women have been identified as stages which may contribute to future obesity. The diets of most Americans are high in calories, fat, and sugar, and low in nutrient dense, low-calorie foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Diets high in vegetables and fruits are linked to reduced risk for chronic disease. Fruit and vegetables are nutrient-dense and low in calories and have recently been associated with reduced risk of major weight gain and obesity development. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a dietary intervention on increasing vegetable consumption in breast-feeding (BF) and formula feeding (FF) postpartum mothers to aid in attaining a healthy weight. There was no control group in this intervention study as this study was involved in the preparatory stage for a larger study. It was expected that after completion of the program, both groups of mothers would consume more vegetables attributable in part to an increase in vegetable preference and self-efficacy in purchasing, preparing and consuming vegetables. Methods: Postpartum mothers (N=47) were recruited for a dietary intervention with focus on increasing vegetable intake to aid in attaining a healthy weight. The intervention consisted of a pre-evaluation session, nutrition education program, and a post-evaluation session. Results: BF mothers significantly increased their self-efficacy in vegetable selection, preparation and consumption (p=0.01) and FF mothers demonstrated a trend towards increasing self-efficacy (p=0.06). Both groups significantly increased intake of Total Target Vegetables (BF, p= 0.03; FF, p =0.01), Other Vegetables (BF, p= 0.05; FF, p=0.05) and All Vegetables (BF, p=0.01; FF, p=0.01), increasing a total of 1.8 servings for BF and 2.2 servings for FF beyond baseline for all vegetables. Conclusion: A theory-based dietary intervention is effective in increasing vegetable consumption in postpartum women.

The problem of this investigation was to survey the noon-meal vegetable consumption of 248 elementary-school children in the J. M. Lindsay School, Gainesville, Texas, for a period of ten days, and to compile lists of the vegetables which the children indicated that they liked or disliked.