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Extending the Good Behavior Game to promote fruit and vegetable intake
Cassey, H. J., Washio, Y., & Hantula, D. A. (2016). The Good Nutrition Game: Extending the Good Behavior Game to promote fruit and vegetable intake. Delaware medical journal, 88(11), 342-345. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29894063/
BACKGROUND: Consumption of diverse and nutritious food is challenging for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
OBJECTIVE: We created the Good Nutrition Game and implemented the intervention among students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at a therapeutic after-school socialization program.
METHOD: We divided students into two teams in each session. The team earned one point per bite of fruit or vegetables by a teammate. The winning team congratulated each other for winning and was given the privilege to choose a small prize item as reinforcement.
LESSONS LEARNED: The approach showed promising findings to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a classroom setting. While the approach needs to be implemented with more students in a longer term trial, other challenges include objectively measuring the number of bites instead of self-report by team members and addressing different eating habits among students.
