Abstract
Background/objectivesPicky eating may be associated with higher risk of being underweight and poor growth over time or conversely, being overweight. Our aim was to investigate if children identified as picky eaters showed differences in height, weight and body composition from their non-picky peers.Subjects/methodsPicky eaters were identified in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort at 3 years of age. Height and weight were measured on seven occasions (age 7–17 years). Body composition was measured on five occasions by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (age 9–17 years). Participants were classified as thin/normal/overweight or obese at each age point using body mass index (BMI) classifications. Data were analysed with adjusted multiple regression analysis and mixed-design repeated measures ANOVA.ResultsThere was a main effect of being a picky child on height and weight (and on BMI and lean mass index (LMI) in boys) (lower in the picky children, all p ≤ 0.044), but not on percentage body fat or fat mass index (and not on BMI and LMI in girls) (all p > 0.2). The mean heights, weights and BMIs of picky eaters were consistently above the 50th centiles of reference growth charts. More than two-thirds of picky eaters were not thin at any age point. However, being a picky eater was predictive of being thin at a few age points.ConclusionsThe growth trajectories of children who were picky eaters were reassuring. The prevalence of thinness amongst some picky eaters is notable, suggesting that some children may need specific early identification, intervention and growth surveillance.
Highlights
Picky eating is generally defined as including an unwillingness to try new foods together with strong food preferences and avoidance of some familiar foods [1, 2]
The longer term effects of picky eating on growth and body composition in pubescent or postpubescent adolescents have received even less attention: Berger et al [21] found that girls who were persistent picky children studied from age 5 to 15 years of age were within the normal weight range and were less likely to be overweight than non-picky children, and not more likely to be underweight
The aim of the present study was to investigate if children identified as picky eaters at 3 years of age in ALSPAC showed longitudinal differences in height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and body composition at ages between 7 and 17 years from their non-picky peers
Summary
Picky eating is generally defined as including an unwillingness to try new foods (food neophobia) together with strong food preferences and avoidance of some familiar foods [1, 2]. Picky eating can lead to a higher risk of being underweight and having poor growth [5,6,7,8,9,10,11], or of being overweight [12] This may be driven by poor dietary variety in childhood [4, 13, 14], with rejection of vegetables being a common finding [15,16,17,18]. In the context of child populations where overweight and obesity are common, it is possible that selective and limited eating by picky children provides some protection against these conditions, but at the expense of some aspects of dietary quality, fruit and vegetable intake
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