Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42021333›Full record

Trial reportThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2026

Implementation and effectiveness of a food education intervention to promote plant-based foods: a partially cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Henna Vepsäläinen, Satu Kinnunen, Sari Niinistö, Leena Forma, Suvi T Itkonen, Tuuli E Korhonen, Liisa Korkalo, Heli Kuusipalo, Jelena Meinilä, Kaija Nissinen and 5 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05249946 (FoodStep - a Sustainable Model for Food Services and Early Childhood Education and Care), which is not on this map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05249946 naunknown statusnot on this map

FoodStep - a Sustainable Model for Food Services and Early Childhood Education and Care

TypeinterventionalSponsorSuvi VirtanenRan2021 to 2024Enrolled116ConditionsHealthyArmsFoodStep - a sustainable health-promoting model for food services and early childhood education and care
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Trial
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Henna VepsäläinenDepartment of Food and Nutrition, University of Helsinki, PO Box 66, Helsinki, 00014, Finland. henna.vepsalainen@helsinki.fi.
Satu KinnunenDepartment of Food and Nutrition, University of Helsinki, PO Box 66, Helsinki, 00014, Finland.
Sari NiinistöDepartment of Public Health, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, PO Box 30, Helsinki, 00271, Finland.
Leena FormaFaculty of Social Sciences, Unit of Health Sciences, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520, Finland.
Suvi T ItkonenDepartment of Food and Nutrition, University of Helsinki, PO Box 66, Helsinki, 00014, Finland.
Tuuli E KorhonenDepartment of Public Health, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, PO Box 30, Helsinki, 00271, Finland.
Liisa KorkaloDepartment of Food and Nutrition, University of Helsinki, PO Box 66, Helsinki, 00014, Finland.
Heli KuusipaloDepartment of Public Health, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, PO Box 30, Helsinki, 00271, Finland.
Jelena MeiniläDepartment of Food and Nutrition, University of Helsinki, PO Box 66, Helsinki, 00014, Finland.
Kaija NissinenDepartment of Food and Nutrition, University of Helsinki, PO Box 66, Helsinki, 00014, Finland.
Susanna RaulioDepartment of Public Health, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, PO Box 30, Helsinki, 00271, Finland.
Ros SambellSchool of Medical Sciences, Nutrition & Health Innovation Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia.
Mari ÅkerlundDepartment of Public Health, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, PO Box 30, Helsinki, 00271, Finland.
Suvi M VirtanenDepartment of Public Health, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, PO Box 30, Helsinki, 00271, Finland.
Maijaliisa ErkkolaDepartment of Food and Nutrition, University of Helsinki, PO Box 66, Helsinki, 00014, Finland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLegumes can substitute for meat and are thus a particularly important food group for environmental sustainability. As the use of legumes among Finnish children is marginal, there is potential for a substantial increase in their consumption. However, food education delivered through early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings has rarely focused specifically on environmentally sustainable foods, such as legumes. This study describes the implementation and effectiveness of an ECEC-delivered food education intervention within the FoodStep study.

methodsThe partially cluster-randomized FoodStep intervention aimed to increase the supply of vegetables, legumes, fruits, berries, and sustainable fish while reducing the provision of other animal-based foods in the intervention ECEC centres. The control centres maintained their regular menus. Food education materials and training were included to support the acceptability of the menu changes. Based on implemented food education activities reported by the ECEC professionals during the 10-month intervention, the ECEC centres were classified into high-intensity intervention (n = 5), low-intensity intervention (n = 6), and control group (n = 12). Parents of the participating 3- to 5-year-old children (n = 86) reported their child’s willingness to taste foods using a five-point scale. Food consumption was assessed using two separate food frequency questionnaires: (1) foods consumed outside ECEC and (2) foods consumed in ECEC. We used linear mixed models to examine the effectiveness of the food education intervention in increasing food acceptance and consumption.

resultsCommonly implemented food education activities were sensory food education, books and drama, gardening, and crafting. Compared with the control group, the children in the high-intensity intervention group showed higher acceptance of (β = 4.27, 95% CI − 0.03 to 8.57, p = 0.06), and consumed more, legumes at the follow-up (β = 1.18, 95% CI 0.31 to 2.06, p = 0.01). No statistically significant associations were observed for the other food groups.

conclusionsECEC-delivered food education interventions accompanied by accessible materials and activities can help to promote sustainable diets in children by increasing the acceptability and consumption of environmentally sustainable foods, such as legumes. To encourage sustainable diets, menu modifications should be supplemented with pedagogic food education activities in ECEC centres.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05249946) November 29, 2021.

Indexed as

Health EducationHealth PromotionAnimalsChild, PreschoolDiet, HealthyDiet, Plant-BasedFabaceaeFeeding BehaviorFemaleFinlandFruitHumansMaleMeat SubstitutesVegetablesDaycareEarly childhood education and careImplementation degreeLegumesNutrition educationPlanetary healthPre-schoolersPulsesSustainability

Identifiers

PMID42021333
PMCPMC13238041

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.