Effects of Peer Models' Food Choices and Eating Behaviors on Preschoolers' Food Preferences

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Abstract
The influence of peer models'' food selections and eating behaviors on preschoolers'' food preferences was investigated. Children''s [39] preferences for vegetables were assessed. Seating in the lunchroom was based on preference data. A target child who preferred vegetable A to B was seated with 3 or 4 peers with opposite preference patterns. Situations [17] were arranged. Children were served their preferred and nonpreferred vegetable pairs at lunch and asked to choose 1. On day 1 the target child chose 1st, while on days 2, 3 and 4 peers chose 1st. The results of a McNemar test for changes indicated that the target children showed a significant shift from choosing their preferred food on day 1 to choosing their nonpreferred food by day 4. Consumption data corroborated these results. In postinfluence assessment, 12 of 17 target children increased their preference for the nonpreferred vegetable; less than half of the peers did so. On a 9-point scale the median increase in preference for target children was 2.5 positions. Younger children were more affected by peer modeling than older children.

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