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Foods containing bits and pieces are often less liked by children; however, there is a limited understanding of how perceptions and preferences for foods with particles change during childhood. This study aimed to investigate preferences and perceptions of particle-containing foods in children aged 5-12 years. Children (n = 485) completed a forced-choice questionnaire on drawings of six pairs of foods, each available with or without particles. Additionally, children tasted yogurts added with muesli differing in particle size (median diameter: 3.9 or 7.5 mm) and evaluated their perception of particle size in mouth and their liking. The questionnaire results showed that children had a clear preference for foods without particles. The average probability of choosing the 'with-particle' foods was 28%, significantly below the midpoint of 50% (p < .0001). Preferences for particle-containing foods were lowest at age six and increased significantly with age (p = .0007). In the taste test, muesli particle size affected oral size perception (p < .0001) but not liking (p = .60). Older children were better able to differentiate particle size than younger children. However, there was no relationship between individual preferences for particle-containing foods and oral size perception of muesli particles. The observation that children's texture preferences changed with age highlights the role of increased experience in shaping preferences for foods with particles., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Texture Studies published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The transition from primary to permanent dentition is an important phase in children's oral development, yet its impact on texture perception and food acceptance are less explored. This study aimed to investigate how changing dentition and tooth loss influence texture preferences and perception of eating difficulty among children aged 5 to 12 years. Children (n = 475) completed a forced-choice questionnaire featuring drawings of six food pairs, each available in hard or soft texture, and reported whether they had started losing primary teeth and the number of tooth gaps present. They also tasted four samples: chocolate snacks (cake and biscuits) and cheddar cheese (grated and cubes), evaluating their perceived eating difficulty and liking for each sample. Analysis of questionnaire responses showed a general preference for softer food textures among children, with a 36% probability of choosing hard foods. Preferences were not related to child's dental state, including primary teeth loss (p = .13) or number of tooth gaps (p = .45). In the taste test, chocolate biscuits and cheese cubes were perceived as significantly more difficult to eat than chocolate cake and grated cheese, respectively (both p < .0001). Children with more than two tooth gaps reported greater eating difficulty for chocolate biscuits and cheese cubes compared to children with fewer or no tooth gaps. This study demonstrated that children's texture preferences for hardness of foods remained consistent during dentition change, while their perception of eating difficulty could vary based on their dental state at specific points in time., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Texture Studies published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Understanding food texture sensitivity in children is important in guiding food selection. The objective of this work was to develop a short questionnaire that could be completed by parents in nonclinical settings to provide a categorization for food texture sensitivity in children. This study evaluated the distribution of children as texture sensitive (TS) or non-texture sensitive (NTS) and the predictive validity of these questions to explain rejection of specific food textures. Three sets of survey data were examined, including data from a home-use test (HUT) in children with and without Down syndrome (DS), and lingual tactile sensitivity measured by grating orientation task (GOT). From three parent-completed surveys, the use of the questionnaire yielded a similar distribution of children in the TS category (16-22%) as previously reported. TS children (4-36 months) were more likely to reject specific food textures, including chewy, hard, lumpy, and "tough meat" (p < .05). A higher percentage of children with a diagnosis of DS were TS (36.9%). Children who were TS showed increased negative behaviors to foods and ate less than NTS children. In older children (5-12 years), TS children were fussier than NTS children (p < .001). Lingual tactile sensitivity was not significantly different by TS/NTS categorization (p = .458). This study demonstrated that the use of these five questions specific to food texture provides a useful tool in categorizing a child as TS/NTS, with this information being useful in selecting preferred food textures. Future studies involving these TS questions should perform psychometric assessments and measures of criterion validity using other questionnaires., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Front-of-pack attributes have the potential to affect parents' food choices on behalf of their children and form one avenue through which strategies to address the obesogenic environment can be developed. Previous work has focused on the isolated effects of nutrition and health information (e.g. labeling systems, health claims), and how parents trade off this information against co-occurring marketing features (e.g. product imagery, cartoons) is unclear. A Discrete Choice Experiment was utilized to understand how front-of-pack nutrition, health and marketing attributes, as well as pricing, influenced parents' choices of cereal for their child. Packages varied with respect to the two elements of the Australian Health Star Rating system (stars and nutrient facts panel), along with written claims, product visuals, additional visuals, and price. A total of 520 parents (53% male) with a child aged between five and eleven years were recruited via an online panel company and completed the survey. Product visuals, followed by star ratings, were found to be the most significant attributes in driving choice, while written claims and other visuals were the least significant. Use of the Health Star Rating (HSR) system and other features were related to the child's fussiness level and parents' concerns about their child's weight with parents of fussy children, in particular, being less influenced by the HSR star information and price. The findings suggest that front-of-pack health labeling systems can affect choice when parents trade this information off against marketing attributes, yet some marketing attributes can be more influential, and not all parents utilize this information in the same way., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Food preferences are important determinants of children's food intakes. Parental feeding behaviours have a significant influence on the development of children's food preferences. The aim of the present study was to describe the ways in which parents attempt to influence their children's food preferences., Methods: Parents of 2-5 year old children participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews, which were transcribed and content analysed using a thematic coding manual. The parents described the ways in which they tried to influence the foods their child liked and disliked. Participants (N = 57) were separated into three separate groups based on an a priori study measuring food preferences and food neophobia: those who either had children with healthy food preferences (i.e. closely aligned with dietary guidelines) (N = 20), or unhealthy food preferences (i.e. not closely aligned with dietary guidelines) (N = 18), or high levels of food neophobia (N = 19)., Results: The parents used many, diverse behaviours to influence their child's food preferences. Some of these behaviours were likely to be effective in promoting healthy food preferences in children (e.g. parental modelling, food exposure), whilst others were likely to be ineffective (e.g. forcing consumption, restricting food access). Parents of children with healthy food preferences appeared to use more of the feeding behaviours predicted to promote healthy preferences than parents in the other two groups. Parents of children with unhealthy food preferences and those of food neophobic children appeared to rely more on ineffective behaviours., Conclusion: Parents used a mixture of effective and ineffective behaviours, with parents of children with unhealthy food preferences or high food neophobia using fewer behaviours known to be effective. Interventions aimed at influencing parental feeding behaviours should include those behaviours targeted at children's food preferences., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The objective was to investigate parents' motives for selecting foods for their children and the associations between these motives and children's food preferences., Design: Cross-sectional survey. A modified version of the Food Choice Questionnaire was used to assess parents' food choice motives. Parents also reported children's liking/disliking of 176 food and beverage items on 5-point Likert scales. Patterns of food choice motives were examined with exploratory principal component analysis. Associations between motives and children's food preferences were assessed with linear regression while one-way and two-way ANOVA were used to test for sociodemographic differences., Setting: Two Australian cities., Subjects: Parents (n 371) of 2-5-year-old children., Results: Health, nutrition and taste were key motivators for parents, whereas price, political concerns and advertising were among the motives considered least important. The more parents' food choice for their children was driven by what their children wanted, the less children liked vegetables (β =-0·27, P<0·01), fruit (β=-0·19, P<0·01) and cereals (β=-0·28, P<0·01) and the higher the number of untried foods (r=0·17, P<0·01). The reverse was found for parents' focus on natural/ethical motives (vegetables β=0·17, P<0·01; fruit β=0·17, P<0·01; cereals β=0·14, P=0·01). Health and nutrition motives bordered on statistical significance as predictors of children's fruit and vegetable preferences., Conclusions: Although parents appear well intentioned in their motives for selecting children's foods, there are gaps to be addressed in the nature of such motives (e.g. selecting foods in line with the child's desires) or the translation of health motives into healthy food choices.

Children's food preferences influence their food intakes, which then have important effects on their health status. Presently little is understood about the aetiology of children's food preferences within families. Parental beliefs are important in many domains of socialisation although their role in the development of children's food preferences has seldom been investigated. Parents of 2-5 year old children participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews, which were analysed with content analysis. The parents either had children with healthy food preferences (i.e. closely aligned with dietary guidelines) (N=20), unhealthy food preferences (i.e. not closely aligned with dietary guidelines) (N=18), or high levels of food neophobia (N=19). Parents described their beliefs about why children like and dislike foods (their attributions) and their ability to influence children's food preferences (their self-efficacy). Children's food preferences were attributed to (a) the influence of children's characteristics (e.g. food neophobia level and personality), (b) sensory attributes of foods (e.g. texture and appearance), and (c) socialisation experiences (e.g. peer modelling and parental feeding behaviours). Results provide preliminary evidence of differences in parents' attributions and self-efficacy beliefs in the feeding domain and highlight the need for greater understanding of the ways in which parents' beliefs affect children's food preferences., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the relationships between food preferences, food neophobia, and children's characteristics among a population-based sample of preschoolers., Design: A parent-report questionnaire., Setting: Child-care centers, kindergartens, playgroups, day nurseries, and swimming centers., Subjects: 371 two- to five-year-old Australian children., Outcome Measures: Associations between food neophobia and the food preferences and characteristics., Analysis: Analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, Pearson product-moment correlations, and Fisher z test were used to estimate and compare the associations between these variables., Results: Food neophobia was associated with reduced preferences for all food groups, but especially for vegetables (r = -0.60; P < .001). It was also associated with liking fewer food types (r = -0.55; P < .001), disliking more food types (r = 0.42; P < .001), the number of untried food types (r = 0.25; P < .001), a less varied range of food preferences (r = -0.59; P < .001), and less healthful food preferences overall (r = -0.55; P < .001). No significant relationships (P < .01) were observed between food neophobia and a child's age, sex, or history of breast-feeding., Conclusions: The study confirms and extends results obtained in experimental research and population-based intake studies of food neophobia to children's everyday food preferences. The findings suggest that preschool children's everyday food preferences are strongly associated with food neophobia but not with children's age, sex, or history of breast-feeding. When aiming to influence children's food preferences, the effects of food neophobia and strategies to reduce it should be considered.

Background: Little is known about the pathways linking parent feeding practices with appetitive traits and BMIz throughout infancy. This study examined bidirectional associations between parental feeding practices, infant appetitive traits, and infant BMIz. Methods: Parents (n = 380) of infants aged less than 6 months at baseline reported their feeding practices (using the Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire (FPSQ) for infants and toddlers), infant appetitive traits (using the Baby Eating Behaviour Questionnaire) and infant BMIz (parent-reported) at three timepoints (< 6 months, ~ 9 months, ~ 12 months) up to 12 months of age. Cross-lagged models examined bidirectional associations between parent feeding practices, infant appetitive traits and infant BMIz. Results: There was strong continuity across the three timepoints for maternal feeding practices, infant appetitive traits, and infant BMIz. Infant food avoidance was prospectively associated with higher parental persuasive feeding. Infant BMIz was prospectively associated with higher parent-led feeding. Parent use of food to calm was prospectively associated with lower infant BMIz, and infant BMIz was prospectively associated with higher infant food approach. Feeding on demand was prospectively associated with lower infant food approach. Conclusion: This study highlights the complex associations between parental feeding practices, infant appetitive traits and infant BMIz. The study demonstrated that both child and parent effects are important, suggesting a need for tailored programs beginning in infancy to promote and support infant appetitive traits and parent feeding practices that support healthy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine the sources and timing of advice formula feeding parents receive and how this and other factors influence the choice of formula product and formula preparation. Components of a cross-sectional survey. A child and family health service in New South Wales, Australia. Parents (n = 153) who were fully or partially formula feeding infants aged 0–6 months and who visited the service's facilities or its social media site. Type of formula, preparation of formula, and use and sources of formula feeding advice. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U or Pearson's chi-square tests, and inductive content analysis. The most common source of formula feeding advice was the formula tin/packet (96.6%). Although 79.2% received advice from a health professional, only 18.9% reported receiving this advice before using formula. Approximately half (48.0%) of the parents chose a standard cow's milk-based formula. The most common reason for their choice of formula type/brand was a personal recommendation (53.0%). Parents' responses indicated that nearly half (46.3%) incorrectly prepared the formula. Although health professional advice was widely received, this was rarely before starting formula. Despite the current national infant feeding regulations, parents who were not exclusively breastfeeding their infants did not always receive timely, health professional advice about formula feeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The ways in which children eat, their appetitive traits, are associated with their food intakes and weight status yet it is unclear whether they also relate to food preferences. Methods A cross-sectional self-report survey administered in two Australian cities. Food preferences were grouped according to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and a summary measure of healthiness, the Healthy Preference Index, was constructed. Bi-variate and multiple linear analyses examined relationships between each of the CEBQ dimensions and between the CEBQ dimensions and children’s food preferences (P < 0.05). Results In total, 371 parents of children aged 2–5 years (response rate 53.5%) participated. The models explained approximately 32% of the variance in children’s Healthy Preference Index scores and 42% of the variance in preferences for vegetables. CEBQ dimensions Fussiness , Enjoyment of Food and Food Responsiveness were significant predictors of several of the food preference measures in linear regression analyses. Fussiness predicted all of the measures of food preferences, explaining a large proportion of the variance in such measures (ranging from 23% to 59%). Enjoyment of Food predicted greater liking of Vegetables and Meats as well as a higher Variety Index score. Food Responsiveness was associated with greater preferences for non-core Extra Foods, and reduced preferences for Vegetables. None of the other CEBQ dimensions meaningfully associated with children’s food preferences. Conclusions Of the eight CEBQ subscales, children’s Fussiness , Enjoyment of Food and Food Responsiveness predicted food preferences. Some, but not all, of the CEBQ subscales appear to be meaningful predictors of children’s food preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infancy is an important life stage for obesity prevention efforts. Parents' infant feeding practices influence the development of infants' food preferences and eating behaviors and subsequently diet and weight. Mobile health (mHealth) may provide a feasible medium through which to deliver programs to promote healthy infant feeding as it allows low cost and easy access to tailored content. Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the effects of an mHealth intervention on parental feeding practices, infant food preferences, and infant satiety responsiveness. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted with an mHealth intervention group (Growing Healthy) and a nonrandomized comparison group ("Baby's First Food"). The intervention group received access to a free app with age-appropriate push notifications, a website, and an online forum that provided them with evidence-based advice on infant feeding for healthy growth from birth until 9 months of age. Behavior change techniques were selected using the Behaviour Change Wheel framework. Participants in both groups completed three Web-based surveys, first when their infants were less than 3 months old (baseline, T1), then at 6 months (time 2, T2), and 9 months of age (time 3, T3). Surveys included questions on infant feeding practices and beliefs (Infant Feeding Questionnaire, IFQ), satiety responsiveness (Baby Eating Behaviour Questionnaire), and infant's food exposure and liking. Multivariate linear regression models, estimated using maximum likelihood with bootstrapped standard errors, were fitted to compare continuous outcomes between the intervention groups, with adjustment for relevant covariates. Multivariate logistic regression adjusting for the same covariates was performed for categorical outcomes. Results: A total of 645 parents (Growing Healthy: n=301, Baby's First Food: n=344) met the eligibility criteria and were included in the study, reducing to a sample size of 546 (Growing Healthy: n=234, Baby's First Food: n=312) at T2 and a sample size of 518 (Growing Healthy: n=225, Baby's First Food: n=293) at T3. There were approximately equal numbers of boy and girl infants, and infants were aged less than 3 months at baseline (Growing Healthy: mean 7.0, SD 3.7 weeks; Baby's First Food: mean 7.9, SD 3.8 weeks), with Growing Healthy infants being slightly younger than Baby's First Food infants (P=.001). All but one (IFQ subscale "concerns about infant overeating or becoming overweight" at T2) of the measured outcomes did not differ between Growing Healthy and Baby's First Food. Conclusions: Although mHealth can be effective in promoting some health behaviors and offers many advantages in health promotion, the results of this study suggest that design and delivery characteristics needed to maximize the impact of mHealth interventions on infant feeding are uncertain. The sensitivity of available measurement tools and differences in baseline characteristics of participants may have also affected the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Developed child's food texture preference questionnaire is content-valid. • Child-rated food texture preference was positively correlated with child's texture preference after tasting (r = 0.55). • Child-rated food texture preference was positively correlated with child's texture preference rated by parents (r = 0.31). • Child's food texture preference was positively associated with child's age (p < 0.05). • Child's food texture preference was not correlated with measured oral tactile sensitivity or food fussiness. This study aimed to 1) develop a parent-reported child's food texture preference questionnaire, 2) assess content validity and inter-rater reliability among parent-, child-report and the child report after tasting and 3) validate the questionnaire with oral tactile acuity and food fussiness in 5 to 12-year-old Australian children. Parents rated their child's preference for 29 pairs of foods selected as they were different in texture but similar in other sensory attributes. A subset of these food pairs (10 pairs) was used for child reported preference and preference after tasting (4 pairs). Content validity was rated by 7 experts and expressed as the content validation index for items. Grating orientation task was used to measure oral tactile sensitivity. Parents reported fussiness on the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire fussiness subscale. A total of 154 caregivers and 251 children (129 boys, 122 girls) participated. Content validation resulted in the elimination of 9 items. Child-rated texture preference was positively correlated with preference after tasting (r = 0.55) and parent-reported scores (r = 0.31). A moderate positive correlation was found between preference after tasting and parent reported scores (r = 0.20). Child's food texture preference was positively associated with child's age (p < 0.05) but not correlated with measured oral tactile sensitivity or food fussiness. This is the first study to evaluate content validity and inter-rater reliability of parent-report child's food texture preference measure. There still remains opportunities for improvements of both food texture preference measure and oral tactile sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Determination of food preferences and perceptions by one food attribute. • Portion sizes create conflict, small is healthy but large is tasty. • No differences in preference and perceptions for age, sex, BMI or hunger. A key determinant of children's health is the quality and quantity of their food and energy intake. In middle childhood children gain greater independence over their food choices. Understanding the factors that influence their choices is therefore important, particularly in the context of obesogenic food environments where children need to learn to identify and select healthier options. This study aimed to examine the role of food attributes in affecting children's food preferences and perception of healthiness and tastiness. A secondary aim was to determine if portion size was related to children's food perceptions and preferences. Participants (children 5–12 years) completed a discrete choice experiment (n = 2112) that examined their perceptions of bread and smoothies when the attributes of type/flavour, food form and portion size were systematically varied. Children were asked about their (i) food preferences, and their perceptions of (ii) healthiness and (iii) tastiness. Data were analyzed using a conditional logit model for the foods independently, and the relative contribution of the attributes to children's preferences, and perceptions of healthiness and tastiness was determined. The results found that children primarily used the type/flavour of the breads and smoothies to form their preferences and perceptions, and the other attributes (portion size and food form), had minimal influence. This study found that children aged 5–12 years made simple food choices and formed perceptions of how healthy or tasty a food was based on a single food characteristic (the type/flavour), ignoring the portion size and food form. This suggests that when children in middle childhood make food choices, they are likely to rely primarily on the food's flavour or type and do not consider other important attributes that will affect their diet quality and energy balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]