title: Cross-sectional exploration of maternal reports of food neophobia and pickiness in preschooler-mother dyads.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate cross-sectional associations of food neophobia and pickiness in preschoolers and in their mothers with regard also to food consumption, proposal of new foods, feeding, and weaning modes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Matched child and maternal data collected by means of self-report questionnaires administered to mothers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Kindergartens of the City of Rome Municipality, Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred twenty-seven mother-child pairs. Children were aged from 2 to 6 years. All participants were normal weight or obese.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mothers' and children's food neophobia and pickiness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pickiness and neophobia were related within both children's (r(o) = 0.528, p = 0.001) and mothers' (r(o) = 0.186, p = 0.037) samples. Mothers' and children's neophobia and pickiness were significantly although modestly associated (neophobia r(o) = 0.223, p = 0.012; pickiness r(o) = 0.311, p = 0.001). Overweight and obese children were significantly more neophobic (18.8 ± 6.4 vs 15.7 ± 7.6; p = 0.03) and picky (6.87 ± 2.2 vs 5.72 ± 2.7; p = 0.03) than normal-weight children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preschoolers' food neophobia and pickiness were correlated. Mothers and children displayed similarities in food neophobia, pickiness, and dietary habits. Genetics and environmental cues jointly contribute to shape preschoolers' attitudes toward familiar and unfamiliar foods. Hence, future longitudinal studies of larger samples are necessary to better define the role of genetics, parental feeding practices, and environmental characteristics in the development of food neophobia and pickiness.
authors.affiliation: Unità di Nutrizione Clinica, Direzione Scientifica Ospedale Pediatrico “Bambino Gesù”, Università “Sapienza”, Rome, Italy. viviana.finistrella@gmail.com
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Finistrella
authors.forename: Melania
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manco
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rustico
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Presaghi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Morino
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D004435:Eating; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002666:Psychology, Child; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014886:Weaning