Dietary IntakeNCT07358390
Potatoes as a Strategy to Improve Diet Quality in Young Children
A study testing Potato + vegetable, Potato appetizer and Potato and vegetable separate in people with Dietary Intake, run by Penn State University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to examine whether incorporating potatoes into meals-either paired with other vegetables or served as a first course-can improve preschoolers' vegetable intake, reduce excess energy intake, and improve overall diet quality. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 2 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Dietary Intake
- What is being tested?
- Potato + vegetable, Potato appetizer and Potato and vegetable separate
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 200 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Mar 2026to Dec 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 2 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Child:
- Enrolled in participating Head Start classroom
- Age 2-6 years old
- Parent:
- Parent/guardian of a participating child
- Age 18 years or older
Show all 11Show fewer
- Able to read and answer questions in English
- Teacher:
- Teacher/teaching staff member of a participating Head State classroom
- Age 18 years or older
- Able to read and answer questions in English
Who cannot join
- Child:
- Allergy to potatoes
- Children who are not able to understand and answer questions in English may participate in all parts of the study except for the taste test ratings, which require the child to communicate with the research assistant
- Parent:
- Child not enrolled in the study
- Teacher exclusion criteria:
- None
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802
About this study
The purpose of this study is to examine whether incorporating potatoes into meals-either paired with other vegetables or served as a first course-can improve preschoolers' vegetable intake, reduce excess energy intake, and improve overall diet quality. Findings will be used to inform whether potatoes, a well-liked and commonly consumed vegetable, could be leveraged in several ways to improve the overall diet quality of children.
Read the detailed description
The overall object of this study is to test potato-based strategies to improve diet quality in preschool age children. The specific aims are:
Aim 1: Determine if pairing potatoes with other less-preferred vegetables increases liking and intake of the non-potato vegetables.
Aim 2: Determine if potato-based dishes can be used strategically to reduce intake of more energy-dense entrees.
The effect of potato-based dishes on vegetable intake and total energy intake will be tested across four lunch-time sessions in preschool classrooms. Each lunch session will be randomly assigned to one of the potato dish conditions.
- Conditions
- Dietary Intake
- Being tested
- Potato + vegetable, Potato appetizer, Potato and vegetable separate, No potato
- Keywords
- vegetables, potatoes, preschool, Head Start
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Potato + vegetableOther
A mixed dish of potatoes and other vegetables will be served at lunch
Potato appetizerOther
A potato dish will be served as an appetizer at lunch prior to the main course
Potato and vegetable separateOther
A potato dish and a vegetable dish will be served separately at lunch
No potatoOther
No potato dish will be served at lunch
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Randomization order 1 | Experimental | Participants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) potato + vegetable, 2) potato appetizer, 3) no potato, and 4) potato and vegetable separate Receives: Other: Potato + vegetable; Other: Potato appetizer; Other: Potato and vegetable separate; Other: No potato |
| Randomization order 2 | Experimental | Participants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) no potato, 2) potato + vegetable, 3) potato and vegetable separate, and 4) potato appetizer Receives: Other: Potato + vegetable; Other: Potato appetizer; Other: Potato and vegetable separate; Other: No potato |
| Randomization order 3 | Experimental | Participants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) potato and vegetable separate, 2) potato appetizer, 3) no potato, and 4) potato + vegetable Receives: Other: Potato + vegetable; Other: Potato appetizer; Other: Potato and vegetable separate; Other: No potato |
| Randomization order 4 | Experimental | Participants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) potato appetizer, 2) no potato, 3) potato and vegetable separate, and 4) potato + vegetable Receives: Other: Potato + vegetable; Other: Potato appetizer; Other: Potato and vegetable separate; Other: No potato |
| Randomization order 5 | Experimental | Participants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) no potato, 2) potato and vegetable separate, 3) potato + vegetable, and 4) potato appetizer Receives: Other: Potato + vegetable; Other: Potato appetizer; Other: Potato and vegetable separate; Other: No potato |
| Randomization order 6 | Experimental | Participants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) potato + vegetable, 2) potato and vegetable separate, 3) potato appetizer, and 4) no potato Receives: Other: Potato + vegetable; Other: Potato appetizer; Other: Potato and vegetable separate; Other: No potato |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Intake of target vegetable at lunch
Intake of the non-potato target vegetable will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dish prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating
Measured: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks
Entree intake at lunch
Intake of an energy-dense entree (macaroni and cheese) will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dish prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating
Measured: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks
Liking of vegetable + potato dishes
Children will be presented with small samples of several vegetable, potato, and vegetable + potato dishes and asked to taste them. Children will rate each food as 'yummy', 'just ok', or 'yucky' using a pictorial scale. We will compare the percentage of children who rate the vegetable with potato (VEG+POT) dishes as yummy to the percentage that rated the same non-potato vegetable alone (VEG) as 'yummy'.
Measured: Once at start of study
Secondary outcomes (4)
Willingness to taste vegetable + potato dishes
Children will be presented with small samples of several vegetable, potato, and vegetable + potato dishes and asked to taste them. Children will rate each food as 'yummy', 'just ok', or 'yucky' using a pictorial scale. We will compare the percentage of children who were willing to taste the vegetable with potato (VEG+POT) dishes to the percentage that were willing to taste the same non-potato vegetable alone (VEG).
Measured: Once at beginning of study
Intake of potatoes at lunch
Intake of the potato dish will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dish prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating
Measured: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks
Total vegetable intake at lunch
Total intake of potato and non-potato vegetables will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dishes prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating
Measured: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks
Total energy intake at lunch
Total energy intake in kcal will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dishes prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating
Measured: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted22 Jan 2026
- Study start1 Mar 2026
- Primary completionDec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Dietary IntakeStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Penn State UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Model description
- Participants will complete four conditions in a randomized order.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Penn State University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Alliance for Potato Research and Education
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Emily Hohman, Penn State University
- Investigators
- Emily E Hohman, PhD, Principal investigator, Penn State University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07358390
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY00027376
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 14 Jan 2026
- Last updated
- 2 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Deidentified individual participant data will be shared by depositing the data set and relevant metadata into a scientific data repository.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Apr 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Potatoes as a Strategy to Improve Diet Quality in Young Children
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07358390
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STUDY00027376
- Conditions
- Dietary Intake
- Keywords
- vegetables, potatoes, preschool, Head Start
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Enrolling by invitation
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Penn State UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Alliance for Potato Research and Education
- Study start
- 1 Mar 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Dec 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 22 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this study is to examine whether incorporating potatoes into meals-either paired with other vegetables or served as a first course-can improve preschoolers' vegetable intake, reduce excess energy intake, and improve overall diet quality. Findings will be used to inform whether potatoes, a well-liked and commonly consumed vegetable, could be leveraged in several ways to improve the overall diet quality of children.
Detailed description
The overall object of this study is to test potato-based strategies to improve diet quality in preschool age children. The specific aims are:
Aim 1: Determine if pairing potatoes with other less-preferred vegetables increases liking and intake of the non-potato vegetables.
Aim 2: Determine if potato-based dishes can be used strategically to reduce intake of more energy-dense entrees.
The effect of potato-based dishes on vegetable intake and total energy intake will be tested across four lunch-time sessions in preschool classrooms. Each lunch session will be randomly assigned to one of the potato dish conditions.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 6
- Model description
- Participants will complete four conditions in a randomized order.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Randomization order 1 | Experimental | Other: Potato + vegetable, Other: Potato appetizer, Other: Potato and vegetable separate, Other: No potatoParticipants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) potato + vegetable, 2) potato appetizer, 3) no potato, and 4) potato and vegetable separate |
| Randomization order 2 | Experimental | Other: Potato + vegetable, Other: Potato appetizer, Other: Potato and vegetable separate, Other: No potatoParticipants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) no potato, 2) potato + vegetable, 3) potato and vegetable separate, and 4) potato appetizer |
| Randomization order 3 | Experimental | Other: Potato + vegetable, Other: Potato appetizer, Other: Potato and vegetable separate, Other: No potatoParticipants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) potato and vegetable separate, 2) potato appetizer, 3) no potato, and 4) potato + vegetable |
| Randomization order 4 | Experimental | Other: Potato + vegetable, Other: Potato appetizer, Other: Potato and vegetable separate, Other: No potatoParticipants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) potato appetizer, 2) no potato, 3) potato and vegetable separate, and 4) potato + vegetable |
| Randomization order 5 | Experimental | Other: Potato + vegetable, Other: Potato appetizer, Other: Potato and vegetable separate, Other: No potatoParticipants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) no potato, 2) potato and vegetable separate, 3) potato + vegetable, and 4) potato appetizer |
| Randomization order 6 | Experimental | Other: Potato + vegetable, Other: Potato appetizer, Other: Potato and vegetable separate, Other: No potatoParticipants will complete the four conditions in the following order: 1) potato + vegetable, 2) potato and vegetable separate, 3) potato appetizer, and 4) no potato |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 2 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (11 listed)
- Enrolled in participating Head Start classroom
- Age 2-6 years old
- Parent/guardian of a participating child
- Age 18 years or older
- Able to read and answer questions in English
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Allergy to potatoes
- Children who are not able to understand and answer questions in English may participate in all parts of the study except for the taste test ratings, which require the child to communicate with the research assistant
- Child not enrolled in the study
- None
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Potato + vegetableA mixed dish of potatoes and other vegetables will be served at lunch | Other | Randomization order 1, Randomization order 2, Randomization order 3, Randomization order 4, Randomization order 5, Randomization order 6 |
| Potato appetizerA potato dish will be served as an appetizer at lunch prior to the main course | Other | Randomization order 1, Randomization order 2, Randomization order 3, Randomization order 4, Randomization order 5, Randomization order 6 |
| Potato and vegetable separateA potato dish and a vegetable dish will be served separately at lunch | Other | Randomization order 1, Randomization order 2, Randomization order 3, Randomization order 4, Randomization order 5, Randomization order 6 |
| No potatoNo potato dish will be served at lunch | Other | Randomization order 1, Randomization order 2, Randomization order 3, Randomization order 4, Randomization order 5, Randomization order 6 |
Primary outcome
Intake of target vegetable at lunch
Time frame: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks
Intake of the non-potato target vegetable will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dish prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating
Entree intake at lunch
Time frame: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks
Intake of an energy-dense entree (macaroni and cheese) will be measured at each lunch session by weighing the food dish prior to serving and after the participant has finished eating
Liking of vegetable + potato dishes
Time frame: Once at start of study
Children will be presented with small samples of several vegetable, potato, and vegetable + potato dishes and asked to taste them. Children will rate each food as 'yummy', 'just ok', or 'yucky' using a pictorial scale. We will compare the percentage of children who rate the vegetable with potato (VEG+POT) dishes as yummy to the percentage that rated the same non-potato vegetable alone (VEG) as 'yummy'.
4 secondary outcomes
Willingness to taste vegetable + potato dishes
Time frame: Once at beginning of study
Intake of potatoes at lunch
Time frame: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks
Total vegetable intake at lunch
Time frame: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks
Total energy intake at lunch
Time frame: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 2 Apr 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Deidentified individual participant data will be shared by depositing the data set and relevant metadata into a scientific data repository.
Related trials for Dietary Intake
RecruitingObservational study
Evaluating Implementation and Scale-Up of Nigeria's National Sodium Reduction Program
Dietary Sources of Sodium, Population Sodium Intake
Recruiting
Training, Coaching and Marketing Program for Vegetable and Fruit Vendors in Markets to Improve Food Safety Practices and Vegetable and Fruit Intake Among Women 20-49 yr Old in Quezon City, Philippines
Intake of Fruit, Intake of Vegetables
Active, not recruiting
Trial of Pistachio Consumption in Older Adults
Cognition, Cardiometabolic Risk Factors
Active, not recruitingObservational study
Dietary Intake, Sarcopenic Obesity, and Other Treatment-Related Outcomes in Indian Children With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Sarcopenic Obesity
Not yet recruiting
The Effect of 16-week Dietary Intake of Food Supplements Containing Collagen and MSM on Facial Erythema and Other Skin Parameters
Erythema, Telangiectasis
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Emily E Hohman, PhD principal investigator
Penn State University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Potato + vegetable, Potato appetizer and Potato and vegetable separate in people with Dietary Intake, run by Penn State University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 11 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: enrolling by invitation, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Intake of target vegetable at lunch (time frame: At each of four lunch sessions conducted once per week over four weeks). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Apr 2026.