The majority of children aged three to five in the U.S. attend childcare or preschool, where they may consume up to two-thirds of their daily calories and nutrition. Teachers at preschools serving low-income families are responsible for guiding children in their food choices. Feeding style, or caregivers' overall emotional tone and approach at…

Objective: Modifying the unhealthy dietary habits of children in low- and middle-income countries is important to overcome the increasing prevalence of childhood under- and overnutrition. Dietary habit formation is multifactorial, with parental influence fundamental in determining children's food environment and intake. Therefore, understanding…

This study presents the perceptions and practices of fundamental movement skills (FMS), healthy eating habits and physical activity (PA) in early years professionals (EYP). An online mixed-method survey comprising questions relating to practices of FMS, healthy eating habits and PA was completed by 137 EYPs (128 females). Frequency analysis…

The study aimed to enhance young children's knowledge of healthy eating, active play and environmental sustainability through play-based activities developed by nursery educators in Crete, Greece. Intervention group children received 4-6 weeks of curriculum activities, and their knowledge about healthy eating, active play and sustainability…

For centuries we have been using food for our well-being and health maintenance. As far back as Hippocrates (known as the father of medicine), food has been a center stone used as the good or suffering of humanity. The Bible references food and fasting, cleansing and revitalization to heal the spirit. Before the scientific discovery of synthetic…

Background: Because healthy habits are established early in life, it is important to teach young children about foods that contribute to a healthy diet. One of the strategies recommended by the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines is to implement educational programs in community settings such as child care and preschool settings. Head Start is one such…

The weaning period, in which complementary foods are introduced into the infant's diet, can be challenging, with dislike of novel foods known to be common. However, even though at six months (the current recommended age for the introduction of complementary foods) most infants are able to feed themselves with graspable pieces of food, the majority…

This study aims to examine the effects of an intervention model, "Change Nutrition by Doing," in which children act as agents of change -- by 'doing' -- in taking responsibility for the contents of the lunch box they bring from home to consume at an early childhood centre. This quasi-randomised case-control trial consisted of 35 Israeli…

This study investigated the food consumption and nutrition perceptions of pre-service early childhood teachers using a mixed method research design. Data was gathered from 37 pre-service early childhood teachers through survey consisting of items in rating scale and open-ended questions. Descriptive analyses were conducted to report pre-service…

The American Academy of Pediatrics and World Health Organization recommend responsive feeding (RF) to promote healthy eating behaviors in early childhood. This project developed and tested a vicarious learning video to teach parents RF practices. A RF vicarious learning video was developed using community-based participatory research methods.…

Partnering early childhood education and care (ECEC) and the home together may be more effective in combating obesogenic risk factors in preschool children. Thus, an evaluation of ECEC obesity prevention interventions with a parental component was conducted, exploring parental engagement and its effect on obesity and healthy lifestyle outcomes. A…

The purpose of this research project was to gain a greater understanding of daily routines of 4-7 year olds regarding physical activity and nutrition practices in typical early learning environments. The settings selected for this observational study included Head Start, primary, and after-school learning environments in a city in the southeast.…

Background: Packing fruit, vegetables and whole grains in preschool children's sack lunches is a powerful way for parents to teach their children eating habits and food preferences to support a lifetime of good health. A multilevel intervention pilot-tested in childcare settings increased servings of vegetables and whole grains, but the lunches…

Head Start's performance standards require that the nutrition programs "serve a variety of foods which consider cultural and ethnic preferences and which broaden the child's food experience" (Head Start Program Performance Standards and Other Regulations, 2006). In this study, food service modifications were made via a participatory…

Objective: This study aimed to identify predictors of controlling feeding practices in both mothers and fathers of young children. Design: Cross-sectional, questionnaire design. Setting: Nursery schools within the United Kingdom recruited participants. Participants: Ninety-six mothers and fathers comprising 48 mother-father pairs of male and…