1
|
Sorokowska A, Chabin D, Kamieńska A, Barszcz S, Byczyńska K, Fuławka K, Urbanek A, Oleszkiewicz A. Olfactory performance and odor liking are negatively associated with food neophobia in children aged between 3 and 9 years. Nutr J 2024; 23:105. [PMID: 39261883 PMCID: PMC11389506 DOI: 10.1186/s12937-024-01011-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 09/03/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Child food neophobia, i.e., rejection or avoidance of novel foods at a young age, is a prevalent nutrition problem that affects the quality of children's diet and impedes the development of healthy food preferences. Sensory sensitivity can relate to the degree of food neophobia, but previous studies rarely focused on the olfactory component of this problem in children. OBJECTIVE We aimed to thoroughly examine the relationship between various aspects of olfactory sensitivity and food neophobia in children. METHODS 246 children aged between three and nine years took part in a food neophobia assessment as well as in a comprehensive, psychophysical olfactory testing. RESULTS We found that certain smell perception aspects such as lower odor liking, poorer odor identification ability as well as lower sensitivity to an unknown non-food odor all significantly predicted higher food neophobia in children. Among individual characteristics of either a child or a caregiver, only the child's age significantly and positively predicted food neophobia. The exploratory model looking into the role of family environment factors predicting self-reported food neophobia in children revealed that food neophobia was associated with lower control given to a child in this child's feeding process, as well as with a more frequent use of food as a reward in feeding. CONCLUSIONS We suggest that suppressed olfactory perception and performance can play a unique role in child nutritional difficulties. The study inspires further considerations of olfaction-engaging interventions to counteract food-neophobia in children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Sorokowska
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, ul. Dawida 1, Wroclaw, 50-527, Poland.
| | - Dominika Chabin
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, ul. Dawida 1, Wroclaw, 50-527, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Kamieńska
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, ul. Dawida 1, Wroclaw, 50-527, Poland
| | - Sabina Barszcz
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, ul. Dawida 1, Wroclaw, 50-527, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Byczyńska
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, ul. Dawida 1, Wroclaw, 50-527, Poland
| | - Klaudia Fuławka
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, ul. Dawida 1, Wroclaw, 50-527, Poland
| | - Arkadiusz Urbanek
- Institute of Pedagogy, University of Wroclaw, ul. Dawida 1, Wroclaw, 50-527, Poland
| | - Anna Oleszkiewicz
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, ul. Dawida 1, Wroclaw, 50-527, Poland
- Smell and Taste Clinic, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ares G, De Rosso S, Mueller C, Philippe K, Pickard A, Nicklaus S, van Kleef E, Varela P. Development of food literacy in children and adolescents: implications for the design of strategies to promote healthier and more sustainable diets. Nutr Rev 2024; 82:536-552. [PMID: 37339527 PMCID: PMC10925906 DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nuad072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Food literacy has emerged as a key individual trait to promote the transformation of food systems toward healthy and sustainable diets. Childhood and adolescence are key periods for establishing the foundations of eating habits. Different food literacy competencies are acquired as children develop different cognitive abilities, skills, and experiences, contributing to the development of critical tools that allow them to navigate a complex food system. Thus, the design and implementation of programs to support the development of food literacy from early childhood can contribute to healthier and more sustainable eating habits. In this context, the aim of the present narrative review is to provide an in-depth description of how different food literacy competencies are developed in childhood and adolescence, integrating the extensive body of evidence on cognitive, social, and food-related development. Implications for the development of multisectoral strategies to target the multidimensional nature of food literacy and promote the development of the 3 types of competencies (relational, functional, and critical) are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gastón Ares
- Sensometrics & Consumer Science, Instituto Polo Tecnológico de Pando, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, Pando, Canelones, Uruguay
| | - Sofia De Rosso
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Institut Agro, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France
| | - Carina Mueller
- Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Kaat Philippe
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Institut Agro, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France
- School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Ireland
| | - Abigail Pickard
- Center for Food and Hospitality Research, Cognitive Science, Institut Paul Bocuse Research Center, Lyon, France
- Laboratoire d’Etude de l’Apprentissage et du Développement–Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR5022, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France
- School of Psychology, College of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Sophie Nicklaus
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Institut Agro, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France
| | - Ellen van Kleef
- Marketing and Consumer Behaviour Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Paula Varela
- Nofima AS, Ås, Norway
- Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, The Norwegian University of Life Science, Ås, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Fleischeuer B, Mourmans R, Dibbets P, Houben K, Nederkoorn C. Food rejection and the relation with category-based induction and memory in young children. Appetite 2024; 193:107130. [PMID: 37984599 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.107130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood rejection of fruits and vegetables (F/V) has been associated with an immature food categorization system, characterized by difficulties in accurately categorizing and making inductions about foods. This may result in variations in the kind of category-based induction children use, such as relying on the color of a fruit/vegetable. Research indicates that children who reject food frequently tend to prioritize perceptual features like color and shape over abstract features, such as the type of food (e.g., tomato) when making food-related inductions. The way children categorize food can also impact what they remember about foods. Food rejection may therefore be related to better memory for perceptual features and diminished memory for abstract features. To explore this further, a pre-registered study was conducted to examine how category-based induction and memory relate to each other, and to children's food rejection. METHODS 107 children aged 4-6 years old performed a category-based induction and memory task related to F/V, based on color and shape (perceptual features), and type of food (abstract feature). A vegetable photo task measured vegetable acceptance, and parents completed the Child Food Rejection Scale (CFRS). RESULTS Children generally used color-based induction and displayed better memory for F/V color. Performance on the two tasks was related: higher type-based induction for F/V was linked to better memory for the type of F/V. However, there were no associations found with food rejection. CONCLUSION Which category young children use for inductive reasoning about food, is related to what they remember best about food. Nevertheless, our study did not establish a relationship between an immature food categorization system and food rejection. Other factors, such as food familiarity, might play a stronger role in children's food acceptance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Britt Fleischeuer
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
| | - Rosalie Mourmans
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
| | - Pauline Dibbets
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
| | - Katrijn Houben
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
| | - Chantal Nederkoorn
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
del Campo C, Bouzas C, Monserrat-Mesquida M, Tur JA. Assessing Food Preferences and Neophobias among Spanish Adolescents from Castilla-La Mancha. Foods 2023; 12:3717. [PMID: 37893610 PMCID: PMC10606373 DOI: 10.3390/foods12203717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Food neophobia is a reaction of dislike or fear of food, which may be due to a wide variety of factors (taste, texture, exposure at an early age, genetics, or diversity in feeding practices and food consumption). The aim of this study was to assess the preferences for tastes and foods and food neophobias among Spanish adolescents and to compare the differences between boys and girls. This was a cross-sectional observational study on 11-18-year-old healthy adolescents (n = 600; 50% female) recruited in the Castilla-La Mancha region (central Spain). Information on taste preferences, food neophobias, anthropometric measurements, and sociodemographic data was recorded. The highest taste preference was found for sweet, salty, and umami. Most adolescents usually did not try new foods outside the home, nor did they like to try foods from other countries. More than half of them also acknowledged being selective eaters or were very particular about the foods they ate. There were no significant associations between taste preference and neophobias with obesity, waist-to-height ratio (WtHR), sleep, and smoking. Adolescents showed a high unwillingness to change food habits, and most of the food neophobias found in the current study were related to new, novel, or previously unknown foods. Spanish adolescents from central Spain (Castilla-La Mancha region) showed a preference for sweet, salty, and umami tastes of foods, as well as food neophobia towards foods that they do not regularly consume, mainly those with a bitter taste. Gender and body weight showed little influence, and age had a moderate influence on food neophobias. Familiarity with foods, as well as educational activities, are suggested as useful to decrease food neophobias among adolescents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carmen del Campo
- Research Group in Community Nutrition and Oxidative Stress, University of the Balearic Islands-IUNICS, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Health Research Institute of Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Cristina Bouzas
- Research Group in Community Nutrition and Oxidative Stress, University of the Balearic Islands-IUNICS, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Health Research Institute of Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Margalida Monserrat-Mesquida
- Research Group in Community Nutrition and Oxidative Stress, University of the Balearic Islands-IUNICS, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Health Research Institute of Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Josep A. Tur
- Research Group in Community Nutrition and Oxidative Stress, University of the Balearic Islands-IUNICS, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Health Research Institute of Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Poor conceptual knowledge in the food domain and food rejection dispositions in 3- to 7-year-old children. J Exp Child Psychol 2023; 226:105546. [PMID: 36099753 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Previous research established that children with poorer taxonomic knowledge in the food domain display increased levels of food rejection. However, the food domain heavily lends itself to script and thematic conceptual knowledge (e.g., pancakes at breakfast), to which young children already attend. This series of studies investigated the development of conceptual knowledge, specifically in the food domain, and the link with food rejection. Study 1 used a nonconflicting triad task testing children's knowledge of four subtypes of script and thematic associations (food-food pairs, food-utensil pairs, event scripts, and meal scripts) with children aged 3-6 years living in the United States (18 males and 14 females). Study 2 employed the same design along with a measure of food rejection in 3- to 6-year-olds living in France (67 males and 62 females). There was significant conceptual development in both groups, but thematic food concepts are acquired earlier than meal script concepts. Study 3 investigated the link between thematic and script cross-classification and food rejection in 39 females and 33 males living in France (4- to 7-year-olds). Results demonstrate that children as young as 3 years old are already attending to thematic and script structures to inform food-based decision making. Even more critically, Study 3 showed that increased food rejection tendencies are negatively related to script and thematic understanding in the food domain. Such seminal studies illustrate the importance of conceptual knowledge in children's interpretation and acceptance of food, highlighting promising avenues for knowledge-based interventions to foster dietary variety.
Collapse
|
6
|
Foinant D, Lafraire J, Thibaut JP. Tears for pears: Influence of children’s neophobia on categorization performance and strategy in the food domain. Front Nutr 2022; 9:951890. [PMID: 36211481 PMCID: PMC9533737 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.951890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Preschoolers’ neophobic dispositions mainly target fruits and vegetables. They received a great deal of attention in the past decades as these dispositions represent the main psychological barrier to dietary variety. Recently, children’s food neophobia has been found to be negatively correlated with their categorization performance (i.e., the accuracy to discriminate between food categories). We investigated categorization strategies among neophobic children, tendencies to favor one type of error over the other (misses over false alarms), in order to compensate for their poor categorization performance. To capture children’s categorization strategies, we used the Signal Detection Theory framework. A first experiment assessed 120 3-to-6-years old children’ sensitivity to discriminate between foods and nonfoods as well as their decision criterion (i.e., response strategy). In a second experiment, we manipulated the influence of food processing. The hypothesis was that food processing acts as a sign of human interventions that decreases uncertainty about edibility and thus promotes feelings of safety in the food domain. 137 children were tested on a food versus nonfood categorization task contrasting whole and sliced stimuli. In both experiments, increased levels of food neophobia were significantly associated with poorer categorization sensitivity and with a more conservative decision criterion (i.e., favoring “it is inedible” errors). Additionally, results from Experiment 2 revealed that food processing did not influence neophobic children, whereas their neophilic counterparts adopted a more liberal decision criterion for sliced stimuli than for whole stimuli. These findings are the first demonstration of a relationship between a decision criterion and food neophobia in young children. These results have strong implications for theories of food neophobia and laid the groundwork for designing novel types of food education interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Damien Foinant
- LEAD – CNRS UMR-5022, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
- Institut Paul Bocuse Research Center, Écully, France
- *Correspondence: Damien Foinant,
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Foinant D, Lafraire J, Thibaut JP. Relationships between executive functions and food rejection dispositions in young children. Appetite 2022; 176:106102. [PMID: 35660076 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2022.106102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the associations between the two main kinds of food rejection, neophobia and pickiness, and executive functions in young children. Caregivers of children (n = 240) aged 3-6 years completed measures of their children's food neophobia and pickiness. A battery of tests measured children's executive functions and world knowledge. Children with higher levels of neophobia and pickiness had lower cognitive flexibility scores than children with lower levels of food rejection. Moreover, the association between food neophobia and cognitive flexibility was stronger than the association between food pickiness and cognitive flexibility. Working memory, inhibition, and world knowledge were not related to children's food rejection. These findings unraveled for the first time the negative relationship between cognitive flexibility and the main psychological barriers to dietary variety. These results contribute to a better understanding of the set of cognitive factors that are associated with food rejection in young children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Damien Foinant
- Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, LEAD - CNRS UMR-5022, Dijon, France; Institut Paul Bocuse Research Center, Ecully, France.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Brecic R, Gorton M, Cvencek D. Development of Children’s implicit and explicit attitudes toward healthy Food: Personal and environmental factors. Appetite 2022; 176:106094. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2022.106094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
|
9
|
Tong Y, Danovitch J, Wang F, Williams A, Li H. Unsafe to eat? How familiar cartoon characters affect children's learning about potentially harmful foods. Appetite 2021; 167:105649. [PMID: 34400223 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Young children learn about the properties of foods, such as taste and healthiness, from others. By using selective trust tasks in which a familiar cartoon character and an unfamiliar informant provided different testimony about food safety, this study examined how an informant's familiarity affected 4- to 6-year-old children's selective social learning about food safety. In Experiment 1, when judging the safety of foods from the familiar cartoon character and the unfamiliar character, children across all age groups showed a preference for asking the familiar character for information. For endorse questions, 4- and 5-year-olds did not consistently accept or reject either character's statements, while 6-year-olds endorsed the unfamiliar cartoon character's statements more often than the familiar character's statements. In Experiment 2, when the unfamiliar informant was a real adult instead of a fictional cartoon character, children sought out information from the familiar character more often than from the adult, and they did not differentially endorse statements by either informant. Moreover, children who had less advanced theory of mind skills and who viewed cartoon characters as more real were more likely to ask the cartoon character. These results suggest that although children prefer to obtain information from familiar characters, they accept information about food safety from multiple kinds of sources and their social-cognitive skills play a role in their decisions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu Tong
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China
| | - Judith Danovitch
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - Fuxing Wang
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China.
| | - Allison Williams
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - Hui Li
- School of Education, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Foinant D, Lafraire J, Thibaut JP. Strength or Nausea? Children's Reasoning About the Health Consequences of Food Consumption. Front Psychol 2021; 12:651889. [PMID: 33897560 PMCID: PMC8061313 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.651889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Children’s reasoning on food properties and health relationships can contribute to healthier food choices. Food properties can either be positive (“gives strength”) or negative (“gives nausea”). One of the main challenges in public health is to foster children’s dietary variety, which contributes to a normal and healthy development. To face this challenge, it is essential to investigate how children generalize these positive and negative properties to other foods, including familiar and unfamiliar ones. In the present experiment, we hypothesized that children might rely on cues of food processing (e.g., signs of human intervention such as slicing) to convey information about item edibility. Furthermore, capitalizing on previous results showing that food rejections (i.e., food neophobia and picky eating) are a significant source of inter-individual variability to children’s inferences in the food domain, we followed an individual approach. We expected that children would generalize the positive properties to familiar foods and, in contrast, that they would generalize more often the negative properties to unfamiliar foods. However, we expected that children would generalize more positive and less negative properties to unfamiliar sliced foods than to whole unfamiliar foods. Finally, we expected that children displaying higher levels of food rejections would generalize more negative properties than children displaying lower levels of food rejections. One-hundred and twenty-six children, aged 3–6 years, performed an induction task in which they had to generalize positive or negative health-related properties to familiar or unfamiliar foods, whole or sliced. We measured children’s probability of generalization for positive and negative properties. The children’s food rejection score was assessed on a standardized scale. Results indicated that children evaluated positively familiar foods (regardless of processing), whereas they tend to view unfamiliar food negatively. In contrast, children were at chance for processed unfamiliar foods. Furthermore, children displaying higher levels of food rejections were more likely to generalize the negative properties to all kinds of foods than children displaying lower levels of food rejections. These findings entitle us to hypothesize that knowledge-based food education programs should take into account the valence of the properties taught to children, as well as the state of processing of the food presented. Furthermore, one should take children’s interindividual differences into account because they influence how the knowledge gained through these programs may be generalized.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Damien Foinant
- LEAD - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR-5022, Université Bourgogne Franche Comté, Dijon, France.,Institut Paul Bocuse Research Center, Ecully, France
| | | | - Jean-Pierre Thibaut
- LEAD - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR-5022, Université Bourgogne Franche Comté, Dijon, France
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Pickard A, Thibaut JP, Lafraire J. Strawberries and Cream: The Relationship Between Food Rejection and Thematic Knowledge of Food in Young Children. Front Psychol 2021; 12:626701. [PMID: 33664697 PMCID: PMC7921690 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.626701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Establishing healthy dietary habits in childhood is crucial in preventing long-term repercussions, as a lack of dietary variety in childhood leads to enduring impacts on both physical and cognitive health. Poor conceptual knowledge about food has recently been shown to be a driving factor of food rejection. The majority of studies that have investigated the development of food knowledge along with food rejection have mainly focused on one subtype of conceptual knowledge about food, namely taxonomic categories (e.g., vegetables or meat). However, taxonomic categorization is not the only way to understand the food domain. We also heavily rely on other conceptual structures, namely thematic associations, in which objects are grouped because they share spatial-temporal properties or exhibit a complementary relationship (e.g., soft-boiled egg and soldiers). We rely on such thematic associations between food items, which may not fall into the same taxon, to determine the acceptability of food combinations. However, the development of children's ability to master these relations has not been systematically investigated, nor alongside the phenomenon of food rejection. The present research aims to fill this gap by investigating (i) the development of conceptual food knowledge (both taxonomic and thematic) and (ii) the putative relationship between children's food rejection (as measured by the Child Food Rejection Scale) and both thematic and taxonomic food knowledge. A proportional (A:B::C:?) analogy task, with a choice between taxonomic (i.e., bread and pasta) and thematic (i.e., bread and butter) food associates, was conducted on children between 3 and 7-years-old (n = 85). The children were systematically presented with either a thematic or taxonomic food base pair (A:B) and then asked to extend the example type of relation to select the respective thematic or taxonomic match to the target (C:?). Our results revealed, for the first time, that increased levels of food rejection were significantly predictive of poorer food identification and decreased thematic understanding. These findings entitle us to hypothesize that knowledge-based food education programs to foster dietary variety in young children, should not only aim to improve taxonomic understanding of food, but also thematic relations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Pickard
- Center for Food and Hospitality Research, Cognitive Science, Institut Paul Bocuse Research Center, Lyon, France.,LEAD-CNRS UMR5022, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France
| | | | - Jérémie Lafraire
- Center for Food and Hospitality Research, Cognitive Science, Institut Paul Bocuse Research Center, Lyon, France
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Torres TDO, Gomes DR, Mattos MP. FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD NEOPHOBIA IN CHILDREN: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 39:e2020089. [PMID: 33175005 PMCID: PMC7649857 DOI: 10.1590/1984-0462/2021/39/2020089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Objective: To identify the factors associated with food neophobia in children through a
systematic review. Data sources: This research was based on the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting
Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. The research was carried out
in the PubMed, Science Direct, and Scientific Electronic Library Online
databases, with the combination of health descriptors in English and
Portuguese: (“Food Neophobia” OR “Feeding Behavior” OR “Food Preferences” OR
“Food Selectivity”) AND Child, from 2000 to 2019. Studies that evaluated
factors associated with food neophobia in children were included. The
quality of the studies was assessed using the Effective Public Health
Practice Project: Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies
(QATQS). Data synthesis: 19 studies were included in the systematic review. The prevalence of food
neophobia ranged from 12.8 to 100%. The studies used three different scales
to measure the level of food neophobia. The main factors associated with
food neophobia were: parental influence on children’s eating habits,
children’s innate preference for sweet and savory flavors, influence of the
sensory aspect of the food, parents’ pressure for the child to eat, parents’
lack of encouragement and/or affection at mealtime, childhood anxiety, and
diets with low variety and low nutritional quality. Conclusions: The factors associated with food neophobia permeate several areas of the
child’s life, thus, interprofessional follow-up becomes essential in the
intervention process.
Collapse
|
13
|
Lafraire J, Rioux C, Hamaoui J, Girgis H, Nguyen S, Thibaut JP. Food as a borderline domain of knowledge: The development of domain-specific inductive reasoning strategies in young children. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2020.100946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
14
|
|
15
|
From foods to artifacts: Children’s evaluative and taxonomic categorization across multiple domains. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2020.100894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
16
|
Thibaut JP, Lafraire J, Foinant D. A time for a meal? Children’s conceptions of short-term and long-term effects of foods. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2020.100885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
|
17
|
Ahl RE, Dunham Y. Have your cake, and your asparagus, too: Young children expect variety-seeking behavior from agents with diverse desires. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2020.100882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
18
|
Vignando M, Rumiati RI, Manganotti P, Cattaruzza T, Aiello M. Establishing links between abnormal eating behaviours and semantic deficits in dementia. J Neuropsychol 2019; 14:431-448. [DOI: 10.1111/jnp.12195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Paolo Manganotti
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences University of Trieste Italy
| | - Tatiana Cattaruzza
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences University of Trieste Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|