Food neophobia is an unwillingness to try new foods. Research concerning the development of neophobia suggests that early exposure affects acceptance of unfamiliar foods. Neophobia is also related to diets that have less variety. To examine the relationship between neophobia and fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption in families, we used data collected from 190 seven-year-old girls and their mothers. In addition to measuring daughters' neophobia, we assessed mothers' neophobia, child feeding practices, demographics, and dietary information. Controlling for mothers' education, we found that neophobic mothers reported consuming significantly fewer and less diverse F&V (r=.28 and r=.33, respectively). Mothers' and daughters' neophobia scores were related (r=.29). Neophobic daughters were likely to have mothers who consumed fewer and less diverse F&V (r=.15 and r=.17, respectively). Mothers who reported pressuring their daughters to eat were less likely to report consuming a variety of F&V (r=.42). Neophobic daughters were more likely to have mothers who pressure them to eat (r=.52). These findings suggest that mothers' neophobia impacts the development of their daughters' diet and willingness to try new foods. Mothers who are food neophobic might not expose their daughters to F&V as readily as non-neophobic mothers. At the same time, they might be more apt to pressure their neophobic daughters to eat well. In the case of neophobic children, using pressure to encourage healthy eating might exacerbate an existing unwillingness to eating a variety of healthy foods, including F&V.
Learning Objectives: Participants in this session will be able to: 1. Articulate the concepts of food neophobia, diet quality, and child feeding practices. 2. Evaluate various methods used to assess fruit and vegetable intake. 3. Assess the relationship between child feeding practices, fruit and vegetable intake, and food neophobia.
Keywords: Food and Nutrition, Maternal and Child Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: This research supported by NIH Grant #HD32973-03 and #HD08626-01.