ARS | Publication request: WILL TRY: A WILLINGNESS TO TRY NEW FOODS INSTRUMENT FOR RURAL PARENTS AND CHILDREN.

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: January 20, 2006
Publication Date: March 6, 2006
Citation: Staggs, C.G., McCabe Sellers, B.J., Norris, T., Bogle, M.L. 2006. WillTry: a willingness to try new foods instruments for rural parents and children [abstract]. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 20(4):A175.

Technical Abstract: Choosing a variety of foods is a major factor in diet quality and in teaching healthy eating to children. Food neophobia, the avoidance of novel foods, is one barrier that nutrition interventions need to address. WillTry is a survey instrument designed to assess food neophobia in the Lower Mississippi Delta (LMD) region and was tested in three rural communities with high prevalence of nutritive-responsive diseases and limited food access. Components of the survey include visual aids, some culturally specific food items, a variety of fruits and vegetables including some readily available and others not. Self reports of picky eating and overall diet quality are included. The instrument has been tested, revised, and retested in LMD communities with IRB approval using trained honor graduates from local high schools. This preliminary testing led to the inclusion of locator and preparer items on the questionnaire. The instrument provides data on both the parent’s and the child’s willingness to try new foods as well as the child’s willingness to try new foods as perceived by the parent. Earlier research in the LMD illustrates that food and nutrient intake among this population differ in comparison with the national dietary intake. Information from this survey can assist in the design of interventions to increase food variety, increase fruit and vegetable consumption, and promote healthier cooking techniques.