Brief communication

Relationship between parental report of food neophobia and everyday food consumption in 2–6-year-old children

Exposing children to adults eating a raw vegetable with positive facial expressions (‘positive modelling’) increases children's consumption of the modelled vegetable. However, whether repeated versus a single exposure to positive modelling enhances this effect, and whether it generalises to a non-modelled vegetable, remains to be examined. Hence, this study examined the effect of a single exposure, versus repeated, exposure to positive modelling on children's acceptance and intake of a modelled and non-modelled vegetable. Children aged 5–6 years (N = 153; 81 males, 72 females) were randomised to one of three conditions in which they had i) a single or ii) repeated exposure to a video of adults eating raw broccoli with positive facial expressions or iii) were exposed to a no-food control video. Children's acceptance (measured as willingness to try and number of tastes), intake and liking of a modelled (raw broccoli) and non-modelled vegetable (raw mangetout) were measured. Children had greater raw broccoli consumption and liking if they had received repeated exposure to positive modelling, compared to children who had received a single exposure, but not compared to children in the control condition. Children's mangetout intake was greater in the single (versus repeated) positive condition, but this effect was not dependent on time. There was no effect on children's vegetable acceptance. Repeatedly exposing children to adults enjoying a vegetable encourages children's intake of the modelled vegetable in comparison to a single exposure. Thus, repeated exposure to others' food enjoyment may be a practical and useful strategy to encourage children's vegetable consumption.

Rejection of specific food textures in young children can be a significant barrier to establishing healthy eating habits. However, the literature on texture preferences in children under seven is sparse, partially due to a lack of suitable test tools for this age range. This study aims to investigate texture preferences in 3 to 6-year-old children and their parents and identify factors that could influence children’s preferences. Children (n = 235) completed a forced-choice questionnaire based on pictographic drawings of 14 pairs of foods differing in hardness (hard versus soft) or particle content (with-particle versus no-particle). Parents completed the same questionnaire and provided information on their feeding practices and children’s eating behaviors. To assess the questionnaire’s validity, children performed a paired preference test using actual food stimuli corresponding to 6 food pairs in the questionnaire. Results showed that children preferred foods without particles, and such preference was associated with food neophobia. Children did not show distinct preferences for foods differing in hardness, but older children preferred soft foods more than younger children. Texture preferences significantly differed between parents and children, with a low concordance between parent–child dyads (49–55 %). Parental restrictive feeding was associated with children’s rejection of particles in foods, whereas children’s experience with different textures was associated with preferences for foods containing particles. Moreover, the questionnaire showed agreement with children’s preferences measured using actual foods, and the validity increased with age. This study demonstrated that young children’s texture preferences follow developmental trends and depend on the eating environment.

This study aimed to investigate whether FN (food neophobia) persistence into adulthood could be associated with preference, acceptance, and perceived daily intake of FV (fruits and vegetables) among young Korean adults in their 20s, along with exploring the moderating role of the frequency of FV consumption during childhood. An online survey was conducted from February 19 to 24, 2020 with 1277 young Korean adults (men: 570, women: 707). Hierarchical multiple regressions were performed to examine the associations between FN and FV preference and acceptance. Multinomial logistic regressions were conducted to explore the association of FN with perceived daily intake of FV. Generally, the study results showed that FN had a significant negative association with preference, acceptance, and perceived daily intake of FV among young Korean adults in their 20s. These negative associations seemed more pronounced with vegetables than with fruits. In addition, the results revealed that the frequency of FV consumption in childhood was likely to have a significant positive association with preference, acceptance, and perceived daily intake of FV later in young adulthood. Overall, the current study implies that more timely interventional efforts to improve FN are required to promote FV consumption in early adulthood and beyond. It may contribute to the development of dietary interventions or policy measures to promote FV consumption among young Korean adults and further serve as a reference for future studies on adult FN.

Cet article vise à évoquer la néophobie alimentaire chez les enfants jusqu’à la fin de l’âge scolaire, à l’exclusion des adolescents. Premièrement, nous définissons la néophobie alimentaire chez les enfants, ainsi que son recouvrement partiel avec le caractère difficile à nourrir ; puis nous analysons les associations entre la néophobie alimentaire et la qualité du régime alimentaire et le poids des enfants. La deuxième partie décrit les influences individuelles sur la néophobie alimentaire, notamment le développement de la néophobie alimentaire en fonction du développement affectif et cognitif, ainsi que du tempérament. La troisième partie aborde les influences psychosociales sur la néophobie alimentaire, en examinant l’influence des parents et des pairs, en se concentrant sur la façon dont elles peuvent modifier le développement typique de la néophobie. La quatrième partie évoque les implications pratiques de ces connaissances, pour les parents ou les éducateurs.

The aim of this article is to discuss food neophobia in children up to the end of school age, excluding adolescents. First, we define food neophobia in children, as well as its partial overlap with pickiness; then we analyze associations between food neophobia and children's diet quality and weight. The second part describes individual influences on food neophobia, including the development of food neophobia as a function of affective and cognitive development, as well as temperament. The third part discusses psychosocial influences on food neophobia, examining the influence of parents and peers, focusing on how they can modify the typical development of neophobia. The fourth section discusses the practical implications of this knowledge for parents and educators.

Childhood rejection of fruits and vegetables (F/V) has been associated with an immature food categorization system, characterized by difficulties in accurately categorizing and making inductions about foods. This may result in variations in the kind of category-based induction children use, such as relying on the color of a fruit/vegetable. Research indicates that children who reject food frequently tend to prioritize perceptual features like color and shape over abstract features, such as the type of food (e.g., tomato) when making food-related inductions. The way children categorize food can also impact what they remember about foods. Food rejection may therefore be related to better memory for perceptual features and diminished memory for abstract features. To explore this further, a pre-registered study was conducted to examine how category-based induction and memory relate to each other, and to children's food rejection.

107 children aged 4–6 years old performed a category-based induction and memory task related to F/V, based on color and shape (perceptual features), and type of food (abstract feature). A vegetable photo task measured vegetable acceptance, and parents completed the Child Food Rejection Scale (CFRS).

Children generally used color-based induction and displayed better memory for F/V color. Performance on the two tasks was related: higher type-based induction for F/V was linked to better memory for the type of F/V. However, there were no associations found with food rejection.

Which category young children use for inductive reasoning about food, is related to what they remember best about food. Nevertheless, our study did not establish a relationship between an immature food categorization system and food rejection. Other factors, such as food familiarity, might play a stronger role in children's food acceptance.

Introduction: In the context of understanding children's food refusal behaviors, such as food fussiness and food neophobia, research has predominantly focused on the role of parental feeding strategies. However, little is known about which general family context variables add to the understanding of children's food refusal behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between 1) parents' own use of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies when they are anxious, 2) parents' reactions towards their children's emotions in stressful situations, and 3) parenting styles on the one hand, and children's food refusal behaviors on the other. Methods: Mothers and fathers (N = 157) of young children (M = 4.64, SD = 1.7) completed a series of self- and parent-report questionnaires. Results: The model examining the role of parenting styles was found to be significantly related to food refusal behaviors in children. More specifically, the current findings demonstrate that higher levels of a coercive parenting style were associated with higher levels of both food fussiness and food neophobia in children. Furthermore, higher levels of a chaotic parenting styles were associated with higher levels of food neophobia in children. The models examining parents' maladjusted emotion regulation strategies when anxious and parents' reactions towards their children's emotions during stressful situations were not found to be significant. Conclusions: Factors related to the parenting style appear to be important for understanding food refusal behaviors in children. Replication of the findings using longitudinal and observational designs is needed.