Predictors and consequences of food neophobia and pickiness in young girls.

OBJECTIVE Vegetable intake among children is well below recommended levels. We assessed whether food neophobia and pickiness contribute to low vegetable intake in school-aged girls and if there are distinct predictors for neophobia and pickiness. Children with food neophobia are reluctant to eat new foods whereas picky children resist eating many familiar foods. Design/subjects Participants were 192 7-year-old girls and their parents, recruited for a study of girls' nutrition and development. We examined relationships between food neophobia and pickiness and assessed whether these variables predicted girls' vegetable consumption and predictors of food neophobia and pickiness. ANALYSES The data were analyzed using a two-step process. First, we used a two-way analysis of variance to assess whether girls who scored high or low on food neophobia and pickiness measures had different levels of vegetable consumption. We used multiple regression analysis to determine predictors of food neophobia and pickiness in the girls. RESULTS Girls with both food neophobia and pickiness consumed fewer vegetables (1.1+/-0.1) than girls with neither neophobia nor pickiness (1.6+/-0.1). Neophobia and pickiness were modestly related in this sample, but had different predictors. Girls with food neophobia were more anxious and had mothers with food neophobia. Picky girls had mothers with less variety in their vegetable intake (r=-0.22) and mothers who perceived their family to have little time to eat healthful foods (r=0.36). In addition, picky eaters were breastfed for fewer than 6 months (r=-0.25). Pickiness was predicted primarily by environmental or experiential factors subject to changes; neophobia was predicted by more enduring and dispositional factors. APPLICATIONS Because food neophobia and pickiness negatively influence vegetable intake, intervention strategies to increase vegetable intake should focus on predictors of neophobia and pickiness, especially those subject to change.

[1]  J. Mennella,et al.  Flavor variety enhances food acceptance in formula-fed infants. , 2001, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[2]  R. Ballard-Barbash,et al.  Food intakes of US children and adolescents compared with recommendations. , 1997, Pediatrics.

[3]  Dixie L. Partridge,et al.  Appetite , 1885, Appetite.

[4]  M. Pelchat,et al.  Antecedents and correlates of feeding problems in young children , 1986 .

[5]  R. Frank,et al.  The Contribution of Psychological and Sensory Factors to Food Preference Patterns as Measured by the Food Attitudes Survey (FAS) , 1995, Appetite.

[6]  D. A. Cook,et al.  Fruit and vegetable intakes of children and adolescents in the United States. , 1996, Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine.

[7]  Joanne R. Lupton,et al.  Nutrition and Your Health Dietary Guidelines for Americans , 1980, Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

[8]  J. Wardle,et al.  The List Heuristic for Studying Personality Correlates of Food Choice Behaviour: a Review and Results from Two Samples , 1998, Appetite.

[9]  T. Baranowski,et al.  Patterns in children's fruit and vegetable consumption by meal and day of the week. , 1997, Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

[10]  T. Baranowski,et al.  Family and child-care provider influences on preschool children's fruit, juice, and vegetable consumption. , 2009, Nutrition reviews.

[11]  L. Birch,et al.  Infant dietary experience and acceptance of solid foods. , 1994, Pediatrics.

[12]  P. Pliner,et al.  Development of Measures of Food Neophobia in Children , 1994, Appetite.

[13]  J. Skinner,et al.  The phenomenon of "picky eater": a behavioral marker in eating patterns of toddlers. , 1998, Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

[14]  Claudio E Pérez,et al.  Fruit and vegetable consumption. , 2002, Health reports.

[15]  P. Pliner,et al.  Temperament and Food Neophobia in Children and their Mothers , 1997, Appetite.

[16]  P. Rozin,et al.  Changing children's food preferences: Parent opinions , 1989, Appetite.

[17]  L. Birch.  Development of food preferences. , 1999, Annual review of nutrition.

[18]  Cecil R. Reynolds,et al.  Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS). Manual , 1985 .

[19]  C. Reynolds,et al.  What i think and feel: A revised measure of children's manifest anxiety , 1978, Journal of abnormal child psychology.

[20]  L. Birch,et al.  Parental influences on young girls' fruit and vegetable, micronutrient, and fat intakes. , 2002, Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

[21]  L. Birch,et al.  Breast-feeding through the first year predicts maternal control in feeding and subsequent toddler energy intakes. , 2000, Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

[22]  M. Murtaugh,et al.  Position of the American Dietetic Association: breaking the barriers to breastfeeding. , 2001, Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

[23]  R. Heidel,et al.  Healthy People 2000: national health promotion and disease prevention objectives (excerpts). US Public Health Service. , 1991, Journal of allied health.

[24]  J. Morgan,et al.  The 2D food portion visual , 1996 .

[25]  P. Pliner,et al.  Development of a scale to measure the trait of food neophobia in humans , 1992, Appetite.

[26]  Marcia Levin Pelchat,et al.  “Try it. You'll like it”. Effects of information on willingness to try novel foods , 1995, Appetite.

[27]  R. Frank,et al.  Food neophobia in childhood affects dietary variety. , 2000, Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

[28]  A. Kristal,et al.  Measurement characteristics of the Women's Health Initiative food frequency questionnaire. , 1999, Annals of epidemiology.

[29]  J. Wardle,et al.  Fruit and Vegetable Consumption, Nutritional Knowledge and Beliefs in Mothers and Children , 1998, Appetite.

[30]  Food aversions: some additional personality correlates. , 1955, Journal of consulting psychology.

[31]  G. Beauchamp,et al.  Prenatal and postnatal flavor learning by human infants. , 2001, Pediatrics.

[32]  P. Pliner,et al.  The Food Situations Questionnaire: a measure of children's willingness to try novel foods in stimulating and non-stimulating situations , 2000, Appetite.

[33]  M. A. V. Van Duyn,et al.  Overview of the health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption for the dietetics professional: selected literature. , 2000, Journal of the American Dietetic Association.