Age, food neophobia, and whole-grain acceptance in Slovenian adolescents in the context of organized school meals: insights from the national “whole grain” project

Čad, Eva Marija (avtor), Bolha, Anja (avtor), Ferjančič, Blaž (avtor), Bertoncelj, Jasna (avtor), Zagorc, Naja (avtor), Korošec, Mojca (avtor)

Background: Childhood and adolescence represent a critical period for shaping long term dietary habits, including whole grain consumption, which remains low despite well documentedhealthbenefits. Objective: Thiscross-sectionalstudy(November–December2024) examined Slovenian adolescents’ attitudes toward whole-grain foods in the context of or ganized school meals. Methods: Participants aged 10–12 years and 14–19 years (N = 501; meanage15.6 ± 2.6) completed an online questionnaire assessing knowledge, self-reported consumption frequency, preferences, motivational factors, and food neophobia using the translated Italian Child Food Neophobia Scale (ICFNS). Based on ICFNS scores, partic ipants were classified as low (≤17), medium (18–24), or high (≥25) in food neophobia. Results: Older adolescents demonstrated better knowledge of whole-grain health benefits; however, greater knowledge was not associated with higher self-reported consumption. Food neophobia was strongly associated with lower consumption frequency and reduced willingness to try whole-grain foods, including whole-grain bread, oatmeal, buckwheat porridge and brown rice. Across all groups, taste was the most consistent motivator for trying whole-grain foods. Older adolescents prioritized health and appearance as key reasons for eating more whole grain foods. Conclusions: Findings suggest that improving taste, increasing exposure, and leveraging institutional settings such as schools, where availability, preparation, and social cues can be managed, may be effective in promoting whole-grain food consumption.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: whole grain, school meals, eating habits, adolescents, acceptance
• Vrsta gradiva: Članek v reviji
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: BF - Biotehniška fakulteta
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Objavljena publikacija
• Datum objave: 01.01.2026
• Leto izida: 2026
• Št. strani: 17 str.
• Številčenje: Vol. 18, iss. 6, art. 896
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180961
• UDK: 664.661:613.2-053.5/.6
• ISSN pri članku: 2072-6643
• DOI: doi.org/10.3390/nu18060896
• COBISS.SI-ID: 271570691
• Datum objave v RUL: 20.03.2026

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Nutrients
• Skrajšan naslov: Nutrients
• Založnik: MDPI
• ISSN: 2072-6643
• COBISS.SI-ID: 2948140

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: To je standardna licenca Creative Commons, ki daje uporabnikom največ možnosti za nadaljnjo uporabo dela, pri čemer morajo navesti avtorja.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: polnozrnata živila, šolski obroki, mladi potrošniki, prehranske navade, prehranska neofobija