Food neophobia and intervention of university students in China

Food Neophobia and Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake among Adults and Related Factors

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) includes age-inappropriate feeding behaviors in eating patterns, including food neophobia, defined as refusal or reluctance to eat new or unknown foods. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of ARFID and food neophobia among adults and determine the related characteristics of these risks. The study used an anonymous survey questionnaire consisting of three parts as the research tool. The first part of the questionnaire was a metric and concerned socio-demographic data. The Food Neophobia Scale (FNS) and the Nine-Item Avoidance/Restrictive Food Disorder Screen Questionnaire (NIAS) were used to evaluate the eating disorders. The survey included 309 people (60.2% women, 39.8% men) aged 18-77 years. NIAS results indicated that 15.2% of the subjects showed food selectivity, and 11.0% had food anxiety. In the FNS assessment, 42.4% had a low risk of food neophobia, 38.2% a medium risk, and 19.4% a high risk. A higher risk of food neophobia correlated with higher NIAS scores, indicating a higher risk of ARFID (p = 0.00231). The NIAS score increased with the risk of food neophobia (p = 0.000). Respondents at low risk of neophobia were most likely to avoid several products (83.97%), while in the high-risk group, 56.67% did not want to eat a favorite food enriched with a new ingredient. A higher risk of neophobia was correlated with more food avoidance and adverse reactions to new foods (p = 0.000). A higher risk of food neophobia is strongly correlated with a higher risk of ARFID. Although demographics did not significantly impact NIAS results, some trends were noted, such as higher scores among older and underweight people. Those with a higher risk of food neophobia show more food avoidance and a greater reluctance to experiment with new ingredients. Public education should emphasize that eating disorders affect both sexes equally, with tailored interventions for high-risk groups such as the elderly, rural populations, and those with lower education. Health policies should promote access to nutrition education, psychological support, and diverse food options, while further research is needed to improve targeted interventions.

Impacts of Internet literacy and Internet contact on the communication effect of university students' ideological and political education in China

BACKGROUND

Internet has made the communication environment of ideological and political education (IPE) more complex for university students. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the impact of university students' Internet literacy and contact on the communication effects of IPE.

METHODS

A total of 2283 Chinese university students were recruited to complete verified online questionnaires on Internet literacy, Internet contact duration, and the communication effects of IPE. SPSS V20 statistical software was used for the ordinal logistic regression analysis, chi-square test, and t-test.

RESULTS

Up to 95.31 % of the university students obtained information through the Internet. There were significant differences between the ILS-high (54.93 %) and ILS-low (45.07 %) groups in both Internet literacy (P < 0.001) and Internet contact (P < 0.001). When comparing the communication effects of IPE between the ILS-high and ILS-low groups, both groups had the best emotional items and the worst cognitive dimensions. Internet literacy, Internet contact, major, and gender significantly impacted the communication effects of IPE.

CONCLUSION

In the Internet era, there is an urgent need to improve university students' Internet literacy, so that they can have high Internet self-control contact skills to give full play to the positive guiding role of network media and improve the communication effects of university students' IPE.

Food neophobia and its association with sociodemographic factors and food preferences among Bangladeshi university students: Evidence from a cross-sectional study

Food neophobia, described as a reluctance to eat and or avoid new food, is a personality trait that affects food choice. Despite its potential influence on an individual's food intake, food neophobia has been poorly investigated in Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study was designed to evaluate food neophobia and its association with sociodemographic factors and food preferences in a sample of Bangladeshi university students. Five hundred students from five public universities completed the structured surveys. Food neophobia was assessed by a 10-item validated food neophobia scale with some minor modifications based on study settings. A multiple linear regression model was used to observe the factors associated with food neophobia. The mean food neophobia score among study participants was 37.45 (SD: 13.39, Range: 13-67). According to the adjusted statistical model, being female (regression coefficient, β = 2.73), having higher monthly family income (β = -6.64), being underweight (β = 4.68), being overweight (β = -4.63), having any food allergy (β = 9.09), and a history of sickness after eating a new food item (β = 5.16) were significantly associated with food neophobia amongst the participants. The participants' liking of various food items such as vegetables were significantly correlated with food neophobia scores. Nutrition education policies and programs are of importance to address the students' food neophobia during their tertiary education so that they maintain lifelong healthy dietary habits and consume a variety of foods to improve their physical health and well-being.

Associations Among Online Health Information Seeking Behaviors, Electronic Health Literacy and Food Neophobia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Few studies have investigated whether improve electronic health (eHealth) literacy can alleviate food neophobia in university students. We explored the associations among online health information (OHI)-seeking behaviors, eHealth literacy and food neophobia. A questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study of 5151 university students in China was conducted from October to December 2022. The study used Chinese versions of the eHealth literacy scale (C-eHEALS), and the food neophobia scale (FNS-C), as well as the OHI-seeking behaviors scale. Data were collected through Wenjuanxing software. Analysis of variance, t-tests, the Pearson correlation coefficient and chi-square tests were performed for data analysis. The average (SD) scores of C-eHEALS and FNS-C were 26.81 (5.83) and 38.86 (6.93), respectively. University students in China had a low C-eHEALS and a high FNS-C level, and there were significant differences between the high and low groups of C-eHEALS (P < .001) and FNS-C (P < .001). There was also a significant correlation between eHealth literacy and food neophobia (P < .001), and a lower eHealth literacy level indicated a higher probability of food neophobia occurrence. University students with high FNS-C and low C-eHEALS show more OHI-seeking behaviors. When schools, communities, and parents want to alleviate students' food neophobia, OHI-seeking training to improve eHealth literacy may be a good intervention.

The Chinese version of the child food neophobia scale and its reliability and validity in preschool children

OBJECTIVE

To translate the English version Child Food Neophobia Scale (CFNS) into the Chinese version and test its reliability and validity in preschool children.

METHODS

To create the Chinese version of the CFNS, it was translated, back-translated, and cross-culturally adapted. The use of the Chinese version of CFNS by 575 parents of preschool children in two kindergartens in Yangzhou City was investigated using cluster sampling to assess the reliability and validity of the scale.

RESULTS

The Chinese version of CFNS has nine items in total. The scale-level average content validity index (S-CVI/Ave) is 0.983. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) extracted 2 common factors, and the cumulative variance contribution rate was 49.437%. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that the 2-factor model was well fitted. The Cronbach'α coefficient of the scale was 0.759, the Cronbach'α coefficients of the two factors were 0.735 and 0.713, the split-half reliability was 0.788, and the test-retest reliability was 0.756.

CONCLUSION

The Chinese version of the Child Food Neophobia Scale has good reliability and validity in preschool children and can be used as an assessment tool for food neophobia in preschool children in China.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

This study has gone through a rigorous translation process, and the CFNS may support future exploration of food neophobia in preschool children. Food allergy factors in the results may be the next step in the research, and several studies are still needed to understand the relationship between food allergy and food neophobia.