Picky eating and food neophobia: Resemblance and agreement in parent/young adult dyads.

OBJECTIVE: To explore selective eating in two samples: young adults and their middle aged parents, including the relationship between food neophobia and picky eating in each, resemblance between children and parents in these eating behaviors, agreement between child self-report and parent report on children's eating, and the relationship between parent eating behavior and parent-report on children's eating. We also explored the relationship between socioeconomic status and picky eating and food neophobia in each sample.

METHOD: University students responded to questionnaires assessing picky eating and food neophobia. Their parents were contacted and asked to complete the same measure about their own picky- and food neophobic behaviors and to report on their child's current picky eating and food neophobia. The final sample included 109 biological parent-child pairs.

RESULTS: There were large positive correlations between food neophobia and picky eating in both samples. There were positive associations between parents' and children's self-reported selective eating behaviors. There was evidence of parent-child agreement in reporting on the child's selective eating, but also considerable variability between raters. This variability between child self-report and parent report was partially accounted for by parental selective eating. Finally, young adults from a lower-SES background (e.g., lower parent educational attainment and income) reported higher levels of pickiness and food neophobia.

CONCLUSIONS: Young adult children and their parents resemble each other in pickiness and food neophobia.