title: A test to identify persistent picky eaters.
abstract: Picky eating is common and usually relatively brief as new foods are accepted. Persistent picky eating, however, is often associated with comorbid psychopathology.
  
  
  
  The aim of this study was to use parent-reported child feeding behaviors to identify which picky eaters persist.
  
  
  
  Participants were a subsample from the Stanford Infant Growth Study a prospective study of child development. Out of the 216 infants, 86 were identified as picky eaters. Picky eaters were separated into two groups using a median split: short-term (n=40) and persistent picky eaters (n=46).
  
  
  
  Recursive Partitioning detected three significant parent-reported feeding questions that may identify persistent picky eaters at an early age: Is your child a picky eater? (yes), does s/he have strong likes with regard to food (yes), does your child accept new foods readily? (no).
  
  
  
  These results provide a first step allowing providers to identify persistent picky eaters and possibly enable intervention at an early age. Further studies are needed to replicate and extend these findings in another sample of picky eaters.
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, United States. Electronic address: htoyama@stanford.edu.
authors: Hannah
authors: H
authors: Toyama
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA 94305, United States.
authors: W Stewart
authors: WS
authors: Agras
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005195:Family Relations / Q000523:psychology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016487:Parenting; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012372:ROC Curve; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Child; Feeding behaviors; Persistent; Picky eating