This study examined the food acceptance behaviour of preschool children in Taiwan from their parents’ perspectives. The research explored food preferences and aversions of preschool children and how parents’ beliefs, concerns and coping strategies influenced their food acceptance behaviour. This qualitative study used in-depth interviews to obtain answers to the research questions. This appears to be the first study of its kind in Taiwan. The results of this research were represented in three ways: as themes and sub-themes, as narratives for two families, and as concept maps to show the relationship between themes and preschool children’s food acceptance behaviour. The major findings of this research are firstly, that children showed a wide range of food acceptance behaviours that are established early in life. Secondly, parents had a number of beliefs and concerns about the nature of the food acceptance behaviour of their preschool children. They described many factors that they believe affect their children’s eating behaviour including the influence of caregivers, parents themselves, siblings, grandparents, peers, the kindergarten teacher, the kindergarten cook, and the media. Thirdly, parents’ rearing styles influence the eating habits of preschool children. The thesis concludes by pointing to useful directions and recommendations for further research, education and policy around the issue of early childhood food acceptance behaviour.

Ranchers, farmers, land managers, and resource management agencies have been plagued with various types of invasive weeds for decades, ultimately affecting millions of acres of viable wildlife habitat, grazing, and recreational opportunities. Invasive weeds often have nutritional contexts that negatively affect animals in some way, increasing the incentive to avoid consuming it by various animal species and domestic livestock. With the current amount of land infested with this weed, and the limited knowledge of the reason for avoidance, the underlying causes of livestock avoidance require in-depth and fundamental understanding. In my MS program, I sought to explore the relationship of plant and herbivore interactions in regards to grazing, animal diet selection through the use of supplementation, along with understanding the chemical compounds that cause avoidance of medusahead by domestic animals. This research will help us better understand the reasoning behind grazing avoidance and preference, and provide further understanding and management approaches using livestock as an alternative management tool in hopes of creating sustainable ecosystems with complementary benefits for soils, plants, animals, and land managers.

Sensory Food Aversions occur frequently in children who are likely to appear on Speech-Language Pathologist’s (SLP’s) caseloads. The lack of research regarding intervention for Sensory Food Aversions in schools and the assertion of a gap in school-based services for children with feeding disorders was a significant indicator for the need of the study. A quantitative, descriptive, exploratory research design was selected using a self-developed questionnaire in order to exploreschool-based SLP’s perceptions of their knowledge and skills related to Sensory Food Aversions, as well as determine resources available for working with this population. Findings from the study suggest a need for educational training, emphasize the advocacy role of an SLP, and shed light on the challenges/barriers SLPs face in regard to treating Sensory Food Aversions in schools. This study may be useful for SLPs in order to meet the needs of children with Sensory Food Aversions.