Food preferences play a central role in food choices and consumption. 341 black children (43% boys; 68% fourth graders) attending low-income, public elementary schools in southeastern Louisiana volunteered to participate. Height and weight were measured and they answered questions about their preferences for 38 different fruits and vegetables during the fall of 2005. There was a negative association between children’s mean f&v preference score and their body mass index for age percentile (P=0.01). Children who reported a very low preference for f&v were 5.5 times more likely to be categorized as at risk for overweight or overweight than were those who reported a high preference for fruits and vegetables (P<0.01). Read more