Behavioural validation of a parent-report measure of child food fussiness

Abstract

Food fussiness is the rejection of familiar and novel foods leading to consumption that is insufficient and/or inadequately varied. Its importance to children's nutrition and the development of food preferences means it has been the focus of extensive research. To measure food fussiness, research has predominantly relied on parent-report, though parents' reporting of their child's eating behaviour can be reliable, responses may also be subject to bias. Utilising data from video-recordings of sixty-seven mother-child dyads during a meal in the home environment, this study aimed to validate the most widely used parent-report questionnaire measuring food fussiness against independent observations of children's eating behaviour and, in so doing, determine its accuracy. Maternal reported food fussiness, assessed using the Food Fussiness subscale of the Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ; Wardle, Guthrie, Sanderson, & Rapoport, 2001) was compared to children's observed food rejection and acceptance behaviours. Bootstrapped Pearson's correlations revealed that maternal reports of food fussiness were significantly positively related to food rejection behaviours and significantly negatively related to food acceptance behaviours.Maternal reports of food fussiness were also found to be significantly negatively related to the proportion of familiar/appealing of familiar foods consumed by the child. There was no significant association between maternal reported food fussiness and the proportion of familiar/unappealing, unfamiliar/appealing and unfamiliar/unappealing foods consumed by the child or the meal duration. These findings support the CEBQ FF as a valid measure of food fussiness.

Validation study on the child, adult, and parent version of the ARFID module 2.0 for the Eating Disorder Examination

“…Despite the fact that children with ARFID and AN did not differ significantly in parent‐reported food‐avoidance behaviors except of greater food fussiness in those with ARFID, food‐avoidance behaviors were not statistically equivalent in both groups, indicating a need for further research on similarities and differences in the diagnoses' eating behaviors. Notably, food fussiness describing the behavioral rejection of familiar or novel foods independent from caloric content (Rendall et al, 2020; Wardle et al, 2001) may present an important observable feature discriminating both restrictive eating disorders.…”

“…Analyses on not statistically equivalent in both groups, indicating a need for further research on similarities and differences in the diagnoses' eating behaviors. Notably, food fussiness describing the behavioral rejection of familiar or novel foods independent from caloric content(Rendall et al, 2020;Wardle et al, 2001) may present an important observable feature discriminating both restrictive eating disorders.T A B L E 5…”

Parent, child, and environmental predictors of vegetable consumption in Italian, Polish, and British preschoolers

“…We also note that all the measurements were reported by the parents rather than directly observed by researchers. While the validity of parent reports is sometimes called into question, a recent study by our group suggests that parents' reports are reliable in the context of children's eating behaviours (98). Parents are the primary gatekeepers of the foods young children eat and are therefore likely to be the most accurate recorders of children's diets.…”

Controlling feeding practices moderate the relationship between emotionality and food fussiness in young children

“…Sixty-seven mother-child pairs took part in this study. Data from these participants is also included in another study (Rendall, Dodd & Harvey, 2020). It focused on children aged two to four years as this age range has been found to be associated with increased parent perception of child food fussiness (Carruth et al, 2004;Hafstad et al, 2013).…”