A comparison of maternal feeding responses to child fussy eating in low-income food secure and food insecure households.

A comparison of maternal feeding responses to child fussy eating in low-income food secure and food insecure households. Appetite. 2019 Mar 08;: Authors: Harris HA, Staton S, Morawska A, Gallegos D, Oakes C, Thorpe K Abstract 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 ...
Source: Appetite - Category: Nutrition Authors: Tags: Appetite Source Type: research