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Study: Smiley Faces, Prizes Encourage Kids To Make Healthier Food Choices

CINCINNATI, OH (CBS) – Kids might not like eating healthy, but here's two things they do like: prizes and smiley faces.

According to a new study from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, putting a smiley face on foods or offering kids a small prize as an incentive really works when it comes to getting children excited about healthy food.

The research reportedly involved 297 kids from an inner city school, and the experiment spanned three months.

During the first part of the experiment, researchers put smiley face emoticons by the healthiest foods in the cafeteria, which included fruits, veggies, whole grains and fat-free milk.

In the second segment of the research, children could get a prize (such as a pencil or a sticker) for eating a nutritious "Power Plate," which had at least four of the USDA recommended components: low fat milk, fruit, vegetables and an entrée.

Over the course of three months, plain milk purchases were up 549 percent, from 7.4 percent of total milk sales to 48 percent. Chocolate milk purchases decreased from 86.5 percent to 44.6 percent of total milk sales.

Meanwhile, fruit selection was up 20 percent, and veggie consumption was up 62 percent. Purchases of the "Power Plate" increased by 335 percent.

While researchers didn't actually watch to see whether the students ate the healthier meals, they say the study does indicate that low-cost, creative options are out there when it comes to encouraging kids to eat healthier.

"We suggest schools can use the Power Plate to improve food selection as it is low cost and effective," says Dr. Robert Siegel, MD, the medical director of the Center for Better Health and Nutrition at Cincinnati Children's. "Stickers and washable "tattoos" are about three cents each."

The study was reportedly presented on April 26th at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in San Diego.

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