A functional description of adult picky eating using latent profile analysis

Relation between ARFID symptomatology and picky eating onset and duration

BACKGROUND

Picky eating (PE) is common in early childhood, peaking between ages 1 and 5 years. However, PE may persist beyond this normative period and pose threats to health and psychosocial functioning. Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) involves restrictive eating driven by appetite, preference/selectivity, and/or fear of eating, leading to significant medical and/or psychosocial impairment. This retrospective study examined the relation between early childhood PE onset/duration and ARFID eating restrictions and symptoms.

METHOD

Parents of children ages 6-17 (N = 437) completed a survey about their child's eating behavior, including the Nine-item ARFID Screen (NIAS) and questions about PE onset and impacts. Children were then categorized into groups based on PE onset (before or after age 5) and duration: never picky, normative picky, persistent picky, and late-onset picky.

RESULTS

The groups differed (all p < .05) in mean NIAS subscales (picky eating, NIAS-PE; appetite, NIAS-A; fear, NIAS-F) and total scores (NIAS-T). Tukey post-hoc tests found that persistent PEs had significantly higher NIAS-PE, NIAS-A, and NIAS-T scores than never or normative PEs (all p < .05). Chi-Square tests found that persistent PEs were significantly more likely than all other groups to endorse ARFID criteria.

CONCLUSION

Findings from this study suggest that PE that persists beyond or is identified after the normative period is associated with elevated ARFID symptoms compared to normative and never PEs. Persistent PE increases risk of impairment from PE and other ARFID eating restrictions. Given the health and psychosocial risks associated with ARFID, early identification and intervention for this group is warranted.

Eating Macro-Algae (Seaweed): Understanding Factors Driving New Zealand Consumers' Willingness to Eat and Their Perceived Trust towards Country of Origin

Macro-algae is an umbrella term for seaweed, which is an important ingredient in many novel food products in New Zealand and other Australasian countries. While attitudes, consumption motivation, knowledge, and socio-demographic consumer profiles have been investigated in specific countries in the region, consumer behavior such as willingness to eat and factors driving this behavior have not yet been explored. Therefore, the present study fills this research gap in a New Zealand context and explores predictors of New Zealand consumers' willingness to eat macro-algae and their perceived trust towards the countries of origin of these products. The symbolic value of food, health importance, food safety concerns, and food fussiness were the factors under investigation. The work builds on an online questionnaire and a sample of 437 consumers mirroring the New Zealand population in terms of gender, age, and annual household income. Data were collected through an opt-in panel provider in November 2023. The data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics and partial least square structural equation modeling. Results show that health importance and food fussiness tendencies are the strongest predictors of willingness to eat and trustworthiness of the two countries of origin. Best practice recommendations for marketing managers in New Zealand food retail are provided.

Heritability of adult picky eating in the Netherlands

Adult picky eating (APE), the rejection of familiar and unfamiliar foods leading to a diet with limited variety, is an understudied phenomenon which can have both physical and psychological negative consequences. The aetiology of individual differences in APE is understudied, although there is reason to believe that it is partly heritable. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the heritability of APE with data from the Netherlands Twin Register (n = 8016) with classical genetic structural equation modelling. In order to use these data, we firstly investigated whether a Food Preference Questionnaire (FPQ) could measure APE with a pre-registered prestudy. Adult participants (n = 414) filled in online questionnaires, including a FPQ and measures related to APE. Spearman's rho correlation quantified the relationship between different elements of the Dutch FPQ and different scores on measures of APE. Results of the prestudy showed that the mean liking score on the FPQ could be used to measure APE (ρ > .50). This measure was then used in the main study to estimate the heritability of APE. Results showed that broad-sense heritability for APE is 49 % (additive genetic effects 14 % (95 % CI [00, 38]) + dominance genetic effects 35 % (95 % CI [11, 52]), while the remaining variance is explained by unique environmental factors. Future studies may focus on uncovering the specific genetic and unique environmental factors that play a role in APE.

Higher meal disengagement and meal presentation are uniquely related to psychological distress and lower quality of life in undergraduate students

Objective: Picky eating, which occurs in emerging adulthood and is associated with psychological distress and quality of life, has historically been conceptualized as unidimensional despite research suggesting it is a multifaceted construct. Participants: An undergraduate sample (N = 509; Mage = 19.96). Methods: A cross-sectional survey assessed picky eating facets (food variety, meal disengagement, meal presentation, and taste aversion), disordered eating, anxiety, depression, stress, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and social phobia symptoms, and quality of life. Results: Meal disengagement was uniquely related to higher anxiety, depression, stress, and social phobia symptoms and lower quality of life, whereas meal presentation was uniquely related to higher anxiety, stress, and OCD symptoms, beyond covariates and disordered eating. Food variety and taste aversion were not uniquely related to outcomes. Conclusions: Considering picky eating multidimensionally may yield important insights beyond the broader construct in terms of its relationship with psychological well-being in undergraduates.

Picky eating is associated with lower life satisfaction and elevated psychological distress and psychosocial impairment in Chinese pregnant women

OBJECTIVE

This study assessed picky eating in pregnant women by exploring whether picky eating is associated with pregnant women's well-being, including life satisfaction, psychological distress, and psychosocial impairment.

METHOD

Data collected were from 345 Chinese pregnant women (M age = 29.95 years, SD = 5.58). Pearson correlation analyses were conducted to examine zero-order correlations between picky eating and well-being variables (i.e., life satisfaction, psychological distress, and psychosocial impairment). Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to examine the unique associations of picky eating with well-being variables, adjusting for demographic and pregnancy-related characteristics and thinness-oriented disordered eating.

RESULTS

Picky eating was significantly and negatively correlated with life satisfaction (r = -.24, p < .001) and positively correlated with psychological distress (r = .37, p < .001) and psychosocial impairment (r = .50, p < .001). When adjusting for covariates and thinness-oriented disordered eating, picky eating was still significantly associated with lower life satisfaction, higher psychological distress, and higher psychosocial impairment.

DISCUSSION

The findings suggest that picky eating may be a significant correlate of pregnant women's poorer well-being. Future research with longitudinal designs is warranted to further examine the temporal associations between picky eating and pregnant women's well-being.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE

Picky eating behaviors are poorly understood in pregnant women. Our results revealed that higher picky eating behaviors were associated with lower life satisfaction and higher psychological distress and psychosocial impairment in Chinese pregnant women. Researchers and clinicians may consider picky eating in the assessment and treatment of mental health and disordered eating in pregnant women.

Change in preference for vegetables and their perceptual attributes as a function of age and pickiness

Preference for vegetables is influenced by various factors, including demographic, psychological, socio-environmental, and genetic factors. This study confirmed that age, pickiness, and perceptual attributes were predictors of preference for vegetables and examined how preference for vegetables and their perceptual attributes varies with age and pickiness. Children (8-14 years, n = 420), youth (15-34 years, n = 569), middle-aged adults (35-64 years, n = 726), and older adults (65-85 years, n = 270) were asked which vegetables they liked (or disliked) and which perceptual attributes of each vegetable they liked (or disliked). On the basis of their responses, an overall preference score and a preference sub-score for each perceptual attribute were calculated. Participants in each age group were classified into four statuses (non-, mild, moderate, and severe) according to their pickiness scores. Multiple regression analysis revealed that age and preference sub-scores for eight perceptual attributes (sweetness, sourness, bitterness, umami, pungency, orthonasal aroma, texture, and appearance) were positive predictors of overall preference score and that pickiness score and four perceptual attributes (saltiness, astringency, retronasal aroma, and aftertaste) were negative predictors. In addition, overall preference score and preference sub-scores for perceptual attributes other than saltiness increased with increasing age group and decreasing picker status; however, preference sub-scores for at least one of the six perceptual attributes (bitterness, astringency, pungency, orthonasal aroma, retronasal aroma, and aftertaste) exhibited negative values in children, youth, and pickers (mild, moderate, and severe). The increase in preference for these perceptual attributes might be an indicator of the adultization of food perception and the expansion of food acceptance.

Sensory profile of picky eaters among college female students

Picky eaters are at risk of an unbalanced diet, which is critical for women of reproductive age. A sensory profile, which is a potential factor in picky eating, has not been well researched. This study assessed the differences in sensory profile and dietary intake according to the picky eating status among female Japanese undergraduate college students. Cross-sectional data were obtained from the Ochanomizu Health Study conducted in 2018. The questionnaire included items regarding demographic characteristics, picky eating status, sensory profile, and dietary intake. Sensory profile was assessed using the Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile questionnaire, and dietary intakes were calculated using a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire. Among the 111 participants, 23% were picky eaters and 77% were non-picky eaters. The age, body mass index and household status did not differ between the picky eaters and non-picky eaters. Being a picky eater was associated with higher scores on sensory sensitivity and sensation avoiding, and lower thresholds for taste and smell, touch, and auditory stimuli than being a non-picky eater. Of the picky eaters, 58% and 100% were at a high risk for folate and iron deficiencies, respectively, compared to 35% and 81% of non-picky eaters. Nutrition education for picky eaters in reproductive age to increase vegetable dishes comfortably in their diet is suggested to prevent anemia during their future pregnancy.

Food approach and avoidance appetitive traits in university students: A latent profile analysis

Eating behaviors are influenced by many factors including appetitive traits. Few studies have utilized latent profile analysis (LPA) to examine food approach and food avoidance appetitive traits. This study utilized LPA to define cluster profile groups based on appetitive traits in undergraduate and graduate/professional students at a large University in the southwest United States. Students completed a cross-sectional online survey in fall 2020 assessing demographic information, appetitive traits via the Adult Eating Behavior Questionnaire (AEBQ), and anxiety via the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7; higher scores indicate more severe anxiety symptoms). Appetitive traits were combined into eight scales (four food approach and four food avoidance traits). Latent profile analyses were conducted to identify homogenous subgroups of participants based on AEBQ scale scores. The final sample included 1243 students (mean age = 26.5 years, 73% female, 59% White, 57% undergraduates). LPA revealed four cluster profile groups: Cluster 1 (moderate eaters: lower than mean scores for food approach and avoidance traits), Cluster 2 (food seekers and avoiders: higher than mean scores for food approach and avoidance traits), Cluster 3 (food seekers: higher than mean scores for food approach traits), and Cluster 4 (food avoiders: higher than mean scores for food avoidance traits). Distribution of age, gender, race/ethnicity, and student status differed significantly between clusters. GAD-7 score was highest in Cluster 2 (food seekers and avoiders) and lowest in Cluster 1 (moderate eaters). Among the four LPA-defined cluster profile groups, students who endorsed both food approach and avoidance traits reported more severe anxiety symptoms compared to moderate eaters, food seekers, and food avoiders. It is useful to consider clusters of appetitive traits instead of individual appetitive traits when examining associations with physical and mental health.

Eating behaviour, physical activity, TV exposure and sleeping habits in five year olds: a latent class analysis

BACKGROUND

Diet, physical activity, sedentary behaviours, and sleep time are considered major contributory factors of the increased prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity. The aims of this study were to (1) identify behavioural clusters of 5 year old children based on lifestyle behaviours, (2) explore potential determinants of class membership, and (3) to determine if class membership was associated with body measure outcomes at 5 years of age.

METHODS

Data on eating behaviour, engagement in active play, TV watching, and sleep duration in 1229 5 year old children from the Cork BASELINE birth cohort study was obtained through in-person interviews with parent. Latent class analysis was used to identify behavioural clusters. Potential determinants of cluster membership were investigated using multinomial logistic regression. Associations between the identified classes and cardio metabolic body measures were examined using multivariate logistic and linear regression, with cluster membership used as the independent variable.

RESULTS

51% of children belonged to a normative class, while 28% of children were in a class characterised by high scores on food avoidance scales in combination with low enjoyment of food, and 20% experienced high scores on the food approach scales. Children in both these classes had lower conditional probabilities of engaging in active play for at least 1 hour per day and sleeping for a minimum of 10 h, and higher probability of watching TV for 2 hours or more, compared to the normative class. Low socioeconomic index (SEI) and no breastfeeding at 2 months were found to be associated with membership of the class associated with high scores on the food avoidance scale, while lower maternal education was associated with the class defined by high food approach scores. Children in the class with high scores on the food approach scales had higher fat mass index (FMI), lean mass index (LMI), and waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) compared to the normative class, and were at greater risk of overweight and obesity.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that eating behaviour appeared to influence overweight and obesity risk to a greater degree than activity levels at 5 years old. Further research of how potentially obesogenic behaviours in early life track over time and influence adiposity and other cardio metabolic outcomes is crucial to inform the timing of interventions.

The interaction of negative psychological well-being and picky eating in relation to disordered eating in undergraduate students

The extant literature on picky eating focuses on children, leaving adults understudied. A sparse and mixed evidence base suggests relationships exist between picky eating and disordered eating in adults. The present study furthered this research by examining shared negative psychological correlates as moderators that may strengthen relationships between picky eating and disordered eating in undergraduate students. Participants (N = 509; 76.3% female) completed a cross-sectional survey assessing picky eating (Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire), disordered eating (Binge Eating Scale and Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire), and negative psychological correlates including anxiety, depression, and stress (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 Items), inflexible eating (Inflexible Eating Questionnaire), obsessive compulsive disorder (Short Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Screener), and social eating anxiety (adapted Social Phobia Scale) symptoms. Positive relationships were observed between picky eating and binge eating, dietary restraint, eating concerns, overall eating pathology, and all negative psychological correlates. Moderation analyses examined if negative psychological correlates strengthened relationships between picky eating and disordered eating. Higher inflexible eating and anxiety and stress symptoms interacted with higher picky eating in relation to disordered eating, specifically eating concerns. Interactions between picky eating and negative psychological correlates did not explain variance in binge eating, dietary restraint, and overall eating pathology. Findings complement research demonstrating overlap between picky eating and disordered eating and highlight specific negative psychological correlates that may strengthen relationships between picky eating and disordered eating. Researchers and clinicians interested in concurrent picky eating and disordered eating should consider these negative psychological correlates given their potential to worsen disordered eating.

Health Coaching as an Intervention for Picky Eaters

Although childhood "picky eating" or "fussy eating" or "food neophobia" is well established as a subject of research, commentary, and treatment guidelines, there is very little published research exploring the origins and basis of adult food neophobia, much less its treatment. Existing treatment guidelines for picky eating tend to focus on cognitive behavioral interventions. The consequences of picky eating, although not extensively researched, include inadequate nutrition and weight management difficulties-both significant contributors to the worldwide disease burden. Health coaching has a focus on personal choice, reflection on previous successes and current strengths, as well as identification of a personal health vision and achievable goals. As such, it may play a useful role in supporting behavioral change in adult picky eaters. A structured intervention, rooted in health coaching skills and culinary medicine aimed at supporting such change, is proposed.

The roles of banana peel powders to alter technological functionality, sensory and nutritional quality of chicken sausage

Chicken sausages included with three different quantities of banana (Musa balbisiana) peel powder. The technological properties (cooking yield, texture, water-holding capacity, color, rheology, and texture), composition, and sensory acceptability were assessed. In storage study, lipid oxidation of the best formulation from the sensory score was evaluated. The inclusion of banana peel powder (BPP) raises the nutritional value with regard to an increase in dietary fiber and a reduction in the sausage fat content. The addition of BPP also causes a significant increase in the cooking yield and water-holding capacity. Additionally, storage modulus values increase with the increase in the BPP's concentration. However, with BPP incorporation, a hard texture and darkening of the sausage were observed. Interestingly, our findings exhibit the compromise in microstructural of chicken sausage with high percentage of BPP manifested by the high storage modulus and hardness but with low resistance toward stress, short linear viscoelastic region. This aspect also caused a significant change in the sensory score. The TBA value in the sausage containing 2% BPP exhibited a delay in lipid oxidation up to 55%, prompting its antioxidant potential. Generally, the incorporation of BPP to chicken sausage changes its properties. BPP has been a potential candidate as a value-adding ingredient that may be used during meat preparation since it positively influences the nutritional value and specific technological properties of the food.

Classifying and characterizing Chinese young adults reporting picky eating: A latent profile analysis

OBJECTIVE

Picky eating (PE) is common across the lifespan and related to psychosocial impairment and limited dietary variety. However, research about PE in non-Western countries is limited. Because eating behaviors may differ by culture, operationalizing PE in non-Western countries (e.g., China) is needed. The present study aimed to replicate two previous studies identifying PE profiles in Western countries by using latent profile analysis (LPA) to classify and characterize adults reporting picky eating in a Chinese sample.

METHOD

A sample of 1,068 Chinese young adults completed a battery of questionnaires including the adult eating behavior questionnaire (AEBQ). LPA was utilized to identify eating profiles. The three-step approach was used to examine predictors of latent memberships and profile differences on various self-reported measures.

RESULTS

The best fit was a four-profile solution, with two picky eating profiles emerging: picky eating and severe picky eating. Compared to those in the other two profiles, participants in the picky eating profile (19.4%) and severe picky eating profile (3.3%) had significantly higher scores on self-reported eating disorder symptoms and psychological distress, and lower scores on self-reported food-related life satisfaction. Relative to the picky eating profile, participants in the severe picky eating profile reported significantly greater self-reported eating disorder symptoms, psychological distress, and food-related dissatisfaction.

DISCUSSION

Characterizing PE profiles is an important step toward understanding eating behaviors among Chinese young adults. Identifying various eating profiles has implications for future research related to PE, including the development of diagnostic tools and interventions to address PE in a Chinese context.

Challenges in the interpretation and therapeutic manipulation of human ingestive microstructure

This minireview focuses on the interpretative value of ingestive microstructure by summarizing observations from both rodent and human studies. Preliminary data on the therapeutic manipulation of distinct microstructural components of eating are also outlined. In rodents, the interpretative framework of ingestive microstructure mainly concentrates on deprivation state, palatability, satiation, and the role of learning from previous experiences. In humans, however, the control of eating is further influenced by genetic, psychosocial, cultural, and environmental factors, which add complexity and challenges to the interpretation of the microstructure of meal intake. Nevertheless, the presented findings stress the importance of microstructural analyses of ingestion, as a method to investigate specific behavioral variables that underlie the regulation of appetite control.

Food Disgust Scale: Spanish Version

INTRODUCTION

The Food Disgust Scale (FDS) was recently developed and validated in Swiss adult population. This study aims to: (1) validate the FDS for the first time in a Spanish-speaking Mexican population, (2) correlate food disgust sensitivity with picky eating measures, and (3) explore the association between food disgust sensitivity and body mass index (BMI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A Spanish version of the FDS (FDS-Sp) and its short version (FDS-Sp short) were tested with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in order to test the original item/factor structure. Bivariate correlations were performed to determine the association between FDS-Sp/FDS-Sp short scores and picky eating. Lastly, hierarchical linear regression analysis was carried out to determine the relationship between food disgust sensitivity and BMI.

RESULTS

The factor structure of the FDS was replicated and acceptable internal consistency values were observed for FDS-Sp subscales (α varied between 0.781 and 0.955). Moreover, FDS-Sp subscales and FDS-Sp short were correlated with picky eating. Higher score in VEGI subscale of the FDS-Sp was a significant predictor for higher BMI, explaining 4% of the variance.

CONCLUSION

FDS-Sp is a useful, reliable and robust psychometric instrument to measure the sensitivity to unpleasant food situations in a Mexican adult Spanish-speaking population. A relationship between food disgust sensitivity and picky eating, selective eating behaviors and neophobia in Mexicans was confirmed. BMI is multifactorial and only one subscale of FDS-Sp is a significant predictor for BMI status. These results are helpful to continue exploring food disgust in diverse populations.

Assessing Appetitive Traits Among Chinese Young Adults Using the Adult Eating Behavior Questionnaire: Factor Structure, Gender Invariance and Latent Mean Differences, and Associations With BMI

The current study examined the factor structure, measurement reliability, measurement invariance across genders, and latent gender mean differences, of a new Chinese translation of the Adult Eating Behavior Questionnaire (C-AEBQ) in a Chinese young adult sample (n = 1,068, 52.57% women). The associations between the appetitive traits assessed by the AEBQ and body mass index were also explored. The previously established eight-factor model of the AEBQ was supported in the present sample. The C-AEBQ had strong measurement invariance between genders. Cronbach's alpha estimates of the eight subscales of the C-AEBQ ranged from 0.76 to 0.97, and the test-retest reliability coefficients of the subscales ranged from 0.50 to 0.77. The C-AEBQ had adequate convergent and divergent validity, as supported by the theoretically expected correlations between C-AEBQ and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire. Furthermore, Satiety Responsiveness, Slowness in Eating, and Food Fussiness were inversely associated with body mass index. Overall, the C-AEBQ appears to be a psychometrically sound instrument as a comprehensive measure for appetitive traits for Chinese young adults.

Translating, modifying, and validating the Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire for use in China

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to translate, modify, and validate the Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire (APEQ) for use in China.

METHODS

Based on standard procedures, the APEQ was translated into Chinese. Four items were added in the final Chinese version of the APEQ (C-APEQ). For testing the psychometric properties of the C-APEQ, a total of 1069 participants (17-24 years; 52.57% women) were recruited from two universities in mainland China.

RESULTS

Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis supported the previous four-factor structure of the APEQ. Findings also showed that the C-APEQ had adequate internal consistency (α = 0.874) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.778). The C-APEQ demonstrated strong measurement invariance across gender. Furthermore, the C-APEQ composite score presented positive and significant correlations with eating disturbance, psychological distress, and psychological inflexibility. It also showed a negative and significant correlation with food-related life satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggested that the Chinese version of the APEQ demonstrated sound psychometric properties. Thus, the C-APEQ can be a useful tool in future studies to accurately assess picky eating among adult population and explore the relationships between picky eating and other physical and psychological outcomes in a Chinese context.