# Food Concepts Among Black and Hispanic Preschool-Age Children: A Preliminary Qualitative Descriptive Study Using Ethnographic Techniques and an Internet Conferencing Platform

## TL;DR

This study explores how Black and Hispanic preschool children describe and categorize foods, using video conferencing to gather insights into their early food concepts and preferences.

## Contribution

The study introduces ethnographic techniques via internet conferencing to explore food concepts in Black and Hispanic preschoolers, a novel approach in early childhood nutrition research.

## Key findings

- Children frequently listed chicken, rice, carrots, and apples as foods they think of, and pancakes and grapes as foods they eat.
- Children used descriptive terms like 'warm,' 'soft,' and 'crunchy' to describe mouthfeel.
- Younger children created more food categories with discrete labels, while older children used broader labels and fewer piles.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: Little is known about preschool-age children’s food concepts among diverse populations. Grounded in the Theory of Mind and Naïve Biology, the primary aim of this study was to describe Black and Hispanic preschool-age children’s food concepts. A secondary aim was to determine the feasibility of collecting data from preschool-age children via a video conferencing platform. Methods: Preliminary qualitative descriptive study. A purposive sample of nine 4- to 6-year-old children (x¯ age = 4.9; Black, n = 7; Hispanic, n = 2), mostly female (n = 7) participated. Children generated two free lists: foods they think of, and foods they eat, reported mouthfeel of 16 foods, and performed a constrained card sort with rationale. Results: All children were able to use the video conference platform. Foods that Black and Hispanic children frequently listed as thought of (x¯ = 6.75) included chicken, rice, carrots, and apples; those frequently listed as foods they eat (x¯ = 8.33) included pancakes and grapes. Black and Hispanic children used various lexicon such as warm, soft, crunchy, and “ouchy” to describe mouthfeel. All preschool-age children sorted foods into piles (range 4–20 piles). Younger children used discrete labels to categorize foods and created many piles while older children used broader labels and created fewer piles. Conclusions: This is the first study to add to the literature about Black and Hispanic preschool-age children’s food concepts before receiving formal education about nutrition. Additionally, we highlight the novel and successful use of ethnographic techniques via internet video conferencing. Subtle differences in their experiential knowledge about food reflect culturally salient qualities that are critical to consider when developing interventions to promote healthy eating behavior.