O Efeito de Vídeos Educativos sobre as Escolhas Alimentares de Crianças e a Formação de Classes de Equivalência entre Frutas

Abstract

Learning about healthy eating in childhood is essential for developing lasting habits and preventing diseases. To this end, Study 1 investigated the effect of nutritional educational videos on the food choices of 24 children from public schools, aged 9 to 11, enrolled in the 4th and 5th grades of elementary school, of both sexes, divided into groups with ideal weight and above ideal weight. The Food Preference Test (FPT) assessed the first and second choices of fruit photos during the Pre-test, Post-test 1 and 2, and follow-up. Children were exposed to short videos (SVs) and long videos (LVs). In Condition 1A, children were exposed to one SV (15 s) in Post-test 1 and two SVs (15 s–15 s) in Post-test 2. Condition 1B was the reverse of 1A. In Condition 2B, children were exposed to two LVs of 1,41 min one in Post-test 1 and another in Post- est 2. Condition 2A was the reverse of 2B. Results showed that 14 children increased their percentage of first and second fruit choices in Post-tests 1 and 2. However, the effect of the videos was temporary for most children after seven days. In Study 2, the effects of nodality, equivalence class formation, and function transfer between more and less preferred fruits were investigated. Six children from Study 1 and six new participants took part in this study. Children were taught conditional relations (AB/BC/CD/EC/EB/EA/FD/FC/FB/FA) with four nodes, and tested for equivalence class formation and function transfer. Results showed that 10 out of 12 children met the criteria for equivalence relations, and nine transferred functions in at least one phase. Follow-up indicated partial maintenance of equivalence relations and preservation of most choices reflecting function transfer. Nutritional education videos and the teaching of conditional discriminations between fruit photo preferences can promote immediate, consistent, and symbolic changes in children's choices.