2015 has been all about the health trend, as parents continue to stray from exposing their children to fast food and other unhealthy options.
Luckily, getting children to eat healthier foods just got easier.
A new study presented at the annual Pediatric Academic Societies conference suggests that placing smiley face emotions on healthy foods and awarding small prizes to children buying nutritious foods will encourage kids to select the healthier selection, according to the publication Tech Times.
In order to try out the “smiley” theory, researchers paired the healthiest foods and drinks available in a school cafeteria in Cincinnati with green smiley face emoticons, according to the publication Modern Readers. A “Power Plate” concept was also reportedly introduced, with researchers rewarding kids choosing the healthiest options with a small prize such as a sticker or beach ball.
After a five month period, receipts from the cash register were collated and recorded, ultimately revealing that vegetable purchases reportedly went up 62 percent while fruit purchases increased 20 percent.
“It looks like we found a very promising, low-cost and effective way of improving the nutrition of elementary school children,” stated Robert Siegel, medical director of the Centre for Better Health and Nutrition of the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre and the study’s lead author.
Childhood obesity has reportedly been increasingly recognized as a public health concern, with schools attempting to change their menus as well. This new method can teach children to pick and choose healthy options on their own.
“This type of program may be a useful component in schools trying to improve the nutrition and health of their students,” added Siegel.
