The Influence of Novel Food Brand Packaging and Child Impulsivity on Ad Libitum Meal Intake in 7-9 Year-olds
Open Access
- Author:
- Beidler, Emma L
- Area of Honors:
- Nutritional Sciences
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Kathleen Loralee Keller, Thesis Supervisor
Rebecca L Corwin, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Nutrition
Branding
Marketing
Neophobia
Impulsivity
Intake
Children - Abstract:
- The purpose of these studies was to determine the impact of food branding on children’s intake at laboratory test-meals. We tested children’s intake at three test-meal conditions, plain packaging, familiar packaging (e.g. Kraft), and a novel brand created for this study called Kaiyo. We hypothesized that 1) child familiarity with Kaiyo will be low, but perceived liking will be high, 2) children will consume more energy from foods with familiar packaging than from novel Kaiyo packaging, and 3) children with higher impulsivity will have higher intake of foods from the novel brand compared to the familiar brand and plain packaging. Study 1 reports on the creation of the Kaiyo brand. Study 2 reports on 7-9 year-old (n=20) children’s pilot testing of the familiarity, emotional response, and excitement rating of the 160 food brands and non-food brands used in Study 3. Results showed 0% familiarity, neutral happiness rating (3.0 ± 1.1), and slightly low excitement rating (2.3 ± 1.1) for Kaiyo. In Study 3, 7-9 year-old (n=7) children participated in 3 meal sessions, each featuring the same common food items either in plain, branded, or Kaiyo packaging. Liking and preference tests were administered before each meal featuring the packaging that would be seen in the meal. Children’s impulsivity was assessed using a validated questionnaire administered using Qualtrics. Anthropometric and demographic data were gathered and recorded. No significant correlations were found in energy intake or liking and preference among meal conditions. Children with higher impulsivity had higher BMI z-scores (Spearman’s rho = -0.76; p =0.05) and rated chips higher during the Kaiyo condition (Spearman’s rho = -0.81; p =0.03). Correlation to chips could demonstrate a link between impulsivity and acceptance of novel brands. A major limitation to drawing firm conclusions at this point was the small sample size. As more participants are added, data should again be tested for significant differences in intake and liking between meal conditions.