Eating for pleasure or profit: the effect of incentives on children’s enjoyment of vegetables

摘要

Use of rewards to encourage children to eat healthily is commonplace among parents but remains controversial because rewards are suspected of undermining intrinsic motivation. A cluster-randomized trial (N=422 children, 4-6yrs) examined effects on acceptance of a disliked vegetable of 12 daily taste exposures, paired with either tangible reward, social reward or no reward, compared with a no-treatment control condition. Liking and intake were assessed in a free-choice consumption task pre- and post-intervention, and 1 and 3 month follow-up. All three exposure conditions increased liking more than the control condition, with no differences between them. Effects were maintained at follow-up. Both reward conditions increased consumption, with effects maintained for 3 months, but the effects of exposure alone became non-significant by 3 months. These results indicate that external rewards do not necessarily produce negative effects and may be useful in promoting healthy eating.