Potatoes as a Strategy to Improve Diet Quality in Young Children

Conditions

• Dietary Intake

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

2 Years - N/A

Healthy Volunteers

Accepted

Interventions

• Potato + vegetable — OTHER
  A mixed dish of potatoes and other vegetables will be served at lunch
• Potato appetizer — OTHER
  A potato dish will be served as an appetizer at lunch prior to the main course
• Potato and vegetable separate — OTHER
  A potato dish and a vegetable dish will be served separately at lunch
• No potato — OTHER
  No potato dish will be served at lunch

Study Details

The purpose of this study is to examine whether incorporating potatoes into meals-either paired with other vegetables or served as a first course-can improve preschoolers' vegetable intake, reduce excess energy intake, and improve overall diet quality. Findings will be used to inform whether potatoes, a well-liked and commonly consumed vegetable, could be leveraged in several ways to improve the overall diet quality of children.

Key Dates

Start date

Mar 1, 2026

Status verified

Apr 2026

Primary completion

Dec 31, 2026

Completion

Dec 31, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment

200 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

OTHER

Arms

• Experimental: Randomization order 1
  Participants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) potato + vegetable, 2) potato appetizer, 3) no potato, and 4) potato and vegetable separate
• Experimental: Randomization order 2
  Participants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) no potato, 2) potato + vegetable, 3) potato and vegetable separate, and 4) potato appetizer
• Experimental: Randomization order 3
  Participants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) potato and vegetable separate, 2) potato appetizer, 3) no potato, and 4) potato + vegetable
• Experimental: Randomization order 4
  Participants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) potato appetizer, 2) no potato, 3) potato and vegetable separate, and 4) potato + vegetable
• Experimental: Randomization order 5
  Participants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) no potato, 2) potato and vegetable separate, 3) potato + vegetable, and 4) potato appetizer
• Experimental: Randomization order 6
  Participants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) potato + vegetable, 2) potato and vegetable separate, 3) potato appetizer, and 4) no potato

Primary Outcome Measure

Intake of target vegetable at lunch [ Time Frame: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks ]

Locations (1)

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