Center for Childhood Obesity Research, The Pennsylvania State University, 129 Noll Laboratory, University Park, PA, 16802, USA; Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, 80 Meiers Rd, Indooroopilly, QLD, 4068, Australia; School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Rd, Kelvin Grove, QLD, 4059, Australia.
Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, 80 Meiers Rd, Indooroopilly, QLD, 4068, Australia.
Appetite. 2019 Jun 1;137:259-266. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.03.005. Epub 2019 Mar 8.
Children learn to like a wide variety of healthy foods through exposure in their early feeding environment. While some children may reject foods during this learning process, parents may perceive persistent refusal as 'fussy' or 'picky' eating. Low-income parents may provide fussy children with a narrow range of foods that they will like and accept to avoid food and economic waste; inadvertently limiting children's exposure to a variety of healthy foods. This 'risk aversion' to food rejection may be particularly salient in food insecure households where resources are further constrained. We aimed to examine if food insecurity modifies the relationship between child fussy eating and parents' food provision and feeding with respect to exposure to a variety of healthy foods. Australian mothers residing in a low-income community (N = 260) completed a cross-sectional survey on their preschool-aged child's 'food fussiness', household food insecurity and food exposure practices. Food exposure practices included the home availability of fruit and vegetables, and children's tasting of a variety of fruit and vegetables (food provision); and whether parents prepared alternative meals for their child (feeding). Mothers reporting food insecurity (11%) were less likely to have fruit frequently available in the home compared to mothers reporting food security. Food insecurity moderated the relationship between fussy eating and food exposure practices insofar that food secure mothers were more likely to prepare alternative meals for fussier children. Family resources and child fussy eating behaviours are identified as important contextual factors in food provision and feeding. Findings from the current study suggest that health professionals, researchers and policymakers tailor interventions to consider both the needs of families and child eating characteristics.
儿童通过早期喂养环境中的接触来学习喜欢各种健康食品。虽然有些儿童在这个学习过程中可能会拒绝某些食物，但父母可能会将持续拒绝视为“挑食”或“挑食”。低收入父母可能会为挑剔的孩子提供他们喜欢和接受的有限种类的食物，以避免食物和经济浪费；无意中限制了孩子接触各种健康食品。在资源进一步受限的粮食不安全家庭中，这种对食物拒绝的“回避风险”可能尤为突出。我们旨在研究粮食不安全是否会改变儿童挑食与父母提供食物和喂养之间的关系，以增加对各种健康食品的接触。澳大利亚居住在低收入社区的母亲（N=260）完成了一项关于学龄前儿童“食物挑剔”、家庭粮食不安全和食物接触实践的横断面调查。食物接触实践包括水果和蔬菜在家中的供应情况，以及儿童对各种水果和蔬菜的品尝（食物供应）；以及父母是否为孩子准备替代餐（喂养）。报告粮食不安全的母亲（11%）家中水果的供应频率低于报告粮食安全的母亲。粮食不安全状况调节了挑食与食物接触实践之间的关系，因为粮食安全的母亲更有可能为挑剔的孩子准备替代餐。家庭资源和儿童挑食行为被确定为食物供应和喂养的重要背景因素。本研究的结果表明，健康专业人员、研究人员和政策制定者应根据家庭的需求和儿童的饮食特点调整干预措施。
