title: Prevalence and correlates of picky eating in preschool-aged children: A population-based study.
abstract: The present study, conducted with a population-based preschool children sample, aimed to examine the prevalence rates of picky eating according to the presence of the avoidance or restriction of food intake, searching for picky-eating correlates.
  
  
  
  959 children from 1.5 to 6years old were evaluated by their parents and caregivers/teachers. Picky eating was assessed by CBCL 1.5-5 and C-TRF, following Cano et al.'s (2015) procedure.
  
  
  
  The prevalence of picky eating was 25.1%. The comparison of the picky-eating group and the non-picky-eating group indicated that picky eating was more common in older children and in children from lower-income families with younger parents. Significant associations were found between picky eating, pregnancy and birth delivery complications. Emotional and behavioral problems were also found to differentiate picky eaters and non-picky eaters using DSM-5-oriented subscales. The results of a binary logistic regression analysis revealed that children with somatic complaints and attention problems were more likely to be picky eaters.
  
  
  
  Picky eating in preschool children should be considered together with sociodemographic features, pregnancy and delivery issues, and the presence of emotional and behavioral problems. Our results support the possibility that picky eating, as a specific eating pattern, could also be part of a broader pattern of behavioral problems in children.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Centre for Studies in Human Development, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: bcmachado@porto.ucp.pt.
authors.forename: Bárbara César
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Centre for Studies in Human Development, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.affiliation: Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Centre for Studies in Human Development, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Vânia Sousa
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Centre for Studies in Human Development, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.affiliation: Psychotherapy and Psychopathology Research Unit-CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sónia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Correlates; Emotional and behavioral problems; Picky eating; Preschool children; Prevalence