title: Picky eating in preschool children: the predictive role of the child's temperament and mother's negative affectivity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study is to describe the development and examine predictors of picky eating from 1.5 to 4.5 years of age in a community sample of children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mothers completed a questionnaire, assessing picky eating and a range of child and maternal factors, when their children were aged 1.5 (n = 913), 2.5 (n = 777), and 4.5 (n = 727) years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Picky eating increased significantly from 1.5 to 4.5 years. Lower maternal age, higher levels of child emotionality, and maternal negative affectivity at the child's age 1.5 predicted an increase in picky eating from 1.5 years to 2.5 and 4.5 years. Having siblings protected against the development of picky eating.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Child and maternal temperament at a very early stage in the child's life increase the risk for picky eating later on.
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 4404 Nydalen, 0403 Oslo, Norway. gertrud.sofie.hafstad@nkvts.unirand.no
authors.forename: Gertrud Sofie
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Hafstad
authors.forename: Dawit Shawel
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Abebe
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Torgersen
authors.forename: Tilmann
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: von Soest
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009341:Negativism; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Children; Maternal mental health; Picky eating; Prospective study; Temperament