Food experience in infancy and unhealthy eating behavior in later childhood

Abstract

This study was performed to evaluate infant feeding practices potentially related to unhealthy eating behavior (UEB) in later life. The STRONG Kids project conducted a parent survey for children aged 2–3 years old enrolled in child care center in Champaign County, IL. A total of 242 parents from the wave 1 study completed a self‐administered survey and 218 valid ones were analyzed. We tested breastfeeding, formula feeding, and introduction of complementary foods during infancy and the relation with parent's perception of child's current UEB. Approximately 51% of children didn't experience home‐made baby food (HBF); 31% didn't have table food (TF); 17% didn't have both. We considered that no experience with HBF and TF in infancy to be an indicator of failure of exposure to various texture and flavor in that period and defined it as an inappropriate food experience (IFE). About 34% of children with IFE were perceived as picky eaters and 25% in the non‐IFE; 37% of those with IFE were perceived to barely accept new food and 21% in the non‐IFE (p=0.0312); 18% of those with IFE were perceived to eat limited variety of foods and 20% in the non‐IFE; 8% of those with IFE were perceived to prefer specific food preparation and 7% in the non‐IFE. Our study indicated that various food experiences in infancy could promote child's acceptance of new food in later life.Funded by Illinois C‐FAR grant