Food Neophobia in Childhood

Abstract

This book chapter is published in theHandbook of Eating and Drinking Rioux C. (2019) Food Neophobia in Childhood. In: Meiselman H. (eds) Handbook of Eating and Drinking. Springer, Cham.

Food Neophobia and its Association with Nutritional Status and Diet Quality in Children Ages 2 to 5 in Barangay Gulang-gulang, Lucena City, Philippines

“…Contrarily, in an Italian cohort of 2-6 years old children, weight status was significantly associated with food neophobia, with children that were overweight or obese being much more neophobic and picky [30]. This is probably because food-neophobic children consume fewer fruits and vegetables than they should and a lot more indulgent, calorie-dense, high-fat, high-sugar foods, putting them at risk for weight gain and adiposity [3,4]. There is conflicting evidence that weight and height status have a link with food neophobia.…”

“…Food neophobia is characterized as the reluctance to eat novel and unfamiliar foods [1]. Different from picky eating or the unwillingness to eat familiar or previously introduced foods [2], food neophobia develops as a result of visual refusal before the specific food is consumed [3]. This feeding behavior specific to childhood peaks around the ages of 2 and 5 among toddlers and preschool children [4], a crucial time for the development of dietary habits [5] and where the risk of malnutrition is highest [6].…”

Relationships between executive functions and food rejection dispositions in young children

“…Recent reviews focusing on the underlying factors of food neophobia and pickiness point out that the current explanations of these dispositions mostly fall into either genetic or environmental influences (Cooke, 2018;Lafraire et al, 2016;Nicklaus & Monnery-Patris, 2018;Rioux, 2020). Estimations from twin studies suggest that both food neophobia and pickiness have high heritability estimates, around 50% or beyond (e.g., Smith et al, 2017).…”