Food Neophobia In Childhood - Brief Article

Nutrition Research Newsletter, Jan, 2001

The diets of most children do not meet the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans for total and saturated fat intake and are usually low in fruits, grains, and dairy products. One of the key messages of the Dietary Guidelines is the importance of variety, moderation, and balance in food choices. Most children tend to eat the same kinds of foods repeatedly, which results in intakes below the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs).

A characteristic of some children's eating behavior that may contribute to dietary repetition is food neophobia, or an unwillingness to try new foods. Currently, no research has been reported on the diet quality of children with food neophobia. Therefore, the current study was designed to investigate whether children with food neophobia have more restrictive diets, less dietary variety, and lower nutrient intakes compared to children without neophobia.

Seventy children were classified into three groups based on scores obtained on the Food Neophobia Scale: neophobic group, neophilic group, and average group. All children filled out three-day food records, which included two weekdays and one weekend day. Diets were analyzed to asses for energy intake, macro- and micronutrient intake, number of servings for each Food Guide Pyramid group, and score on each component of the USDA Health Eating Index (HEI). The HEI consists of 10 components, one for each of the serving recommendations for the five Food Guide Pyramid groups and also for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and variety.

The three groups were similar with respect to the number of children meeting two-thirds of the RDA/DRI for energy and most nutrients. However, fewer neophobic children met two-thirds of the recommended value for vitamin E than average and neophilic children. When checking to see if the quality of the children's diets was influenced by cereal, the top contributor of many vitamins and minerals, the number of children meeting two-thirds of the RDAs/DRIs decreased for vitamin A, C, B-6, folate, and zinc. The overall HEI score was significantly lower for the neophobic children compared with the other two groups. The HEI index showed that children with neophobia had a higher intake of saturated fat and less food variety than children without food neophobia.

As compared to previous studies, energy and nutrient intakes of children in this study were comparable to U.S. children in general. It also appears that the neophobic children met most of the RDA/DRI recommendations (except for vitamin E, folate, calcium, zinc and fiber) despite their restricted food choices. The findings also show that this is probably a result of fortified foods, rather than foods naturally dense in nutrients. Even though no major nutrient deficiencies were found, dietitians and health professionals should continue to emphasize increased food variety for children within the context of a healthful diet. There is still work to be done!

Grace A. Falciglia, Sarah C. Couch, Laura Siem Gribble, Stephanie M Pabst and Robert Frank, Food Neophobia in Childhood Affects Dietary Variety, JADA 100(12): 1474-1478 (December 2000).