Test–retest reliability and comparison of childrenʹs reports with parents’ reports of young childrenʹs fruit and vegetable preferences

The aim of this study is to investigate the test–retest reliability of a short computerized assessment of young childrenʹs fruit (F) and vegetable (V) preferences, and to compare childrenʹs responses with their parents’ responses. A paper-and-pencil F and V preference and F and V food frequency questionnaire was completed by 194 parents. Data on 139 preschoolers was available for test and retest of F preferences and data on 135 children for V. F and V preference scales were computed, including the ten most commonly consumed F and the ten most commonly consumed V. Alpha reliabilities were good (F = 0.78; V = 0.76) and test–retest intraclass correlations were high (ICC for F = 0.74; V = 0.75). Agreement between parents’ and childrenʹs reports was moderate (F: ICC = 0.48, V: ICC = 0.41). Children reported more often to have never consumed an item, and less often the midcategory “not yummy, not yucky but ok”. Covariance analysis indicated differences in agreement by school and mothers’ education level with a lower agreement for those of lower social status. A weak, but significant association was found between childrenʹs reported preferences and childrenʹs consumption (F: r = 0.19, V: r = 0.25). The results are promising, but additional validation is needed in a representative sample and should further explore the sources of disagreements.