Food Neophobia and its Association with Nutritional Status and Diet Quality in Children Ages 2 to 5 in Barangay Gulang-gulang, Lucena City, Philippines

Food neophobia (FN) is the reluctance to eat novel foods. It peaks around the toddler and preschool years, a sensitive time for developing dietary habits. If this eating behavior persists, children are susceptible to acquiring lifelong unhealthy dietary habits, ultimately affecting their development. Hence, this cross-sectional study involved 88 parents or caregivers of children ages 2 to 5 to describe FN relative to nutritional status (NS) and diet quality (DQ) and identify factors affecting its development. Data were collected using a computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) online survey. Weight-for-height and height-for-age measurements were used to assess NS. While dietary diversity score (DDS) and Menu Eval Plus for DQ. The Child Food Neophobia Scale was adopted to measure FN. No significant associations were noted regarding NS and DQ. However, food-neophobic children had fewer intakes of legumes (p-value=0.041) and non-vitamin A-rich vegetables (p-value=0.048) and excessive intakes of phosphorus (p-value=0.002), vitamin A (p-value=0.027), and riboflavin (p-value=0.037). Snacks and discretionary foods are also frequently consumed as they are readily available and accessible. This behavior may probably be due to the innate preference of children for sweet and salty over bitter and sour flavors. Results warrant further research to develop interventions to address FN in children.

食物新物恐惧症（Food Neophobia, FN）指个体对新型食物的抵触心理。该现象在学步期与学龄前阶段达到峰值，而这一时期正是饮食习性养成的敏感阶段。若此种进食行为持续存在，儿童易养成终身不健康的饮食习惯，最终影响其生长发育。为此，本横断面研究招募了88名2至5岁儿童的家长或照料者，旨在结合营养状况（Nutritional Status, NS）与膳食质量（Diet Quality, DQ）描述儿童的食物新物恐惧症表现，并明确影响其发展的相关因素。研究数据通过计算机辅助个人访谈（Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing, CAPI）在线问卷收集。采用身高别体重与年龄别身高指标评估营养状况，以膳食多样性评分（Dietary Diversity Score, DDS）与Menu Eval Plus工具评价膳食质量，并采用儿童食物新物恐惧症量表测量儿童的食物新物恐惧症水平。研究未发现营养状况与膳食质量间存在显著关联。但相较于非食物新物恐惧儿童，食物新物恐惧儿童的豆类（p=0.041）与非富含维生素A蔬菜（p=0.048）摄入量更少，而磷（p=0.002）、维生素A（p=0.027）与核黄素（p=0.037）的摄入量过高。此外，由于零食与随意性食品易于获取，儿童往往频繁食用此类食物。此种行为或源于儿童对甜味、咸味相较于苦味、酸味的先天偏好。本研究结果提示，未来需开展更多研究以开发针对儿童食物新物恐惧症的干预措施。