Age and gender differences in children's food preferences

The present study was conducted to examine the developmental patterning of food preferences in a large sample of British schoolchildren and to investigate possible gender differences. Using a cross-sectional survey design, the study was carried out in three primary and three secondary schools in West London, UK. A total of 1291 children aged from 4 to 16 years completed a 115-item food preference questionnaire in class time, supervised by class teachers and assistants. Children indicated whether they had ever tried each item and, if so, how much they liked it. We observed age-related increases in the number of foods tried (P < 0.001), liked (P < 0.005) and disliked (P < 0.05). Controlling for the number of foods tried rendered the increase in dislikes non-significant and reversed the age effect on the number liked. Girls liked fruit (P < 0.05) and vegetables (P < 0.001) more than boys did; boys liked fatty and sugary foods (P < 0.005), meat (P < 0.001), processed meat products (P < 0.001) and eggs (P < 0.05) more than girls did. Some age differences were apparent in liking for categories of food, although the effects were not linear. Across ages and genders, children rated fatty and sugary foods most highly, although ratings for fruit were also high. Children's food preferences overall are not consistent with a healthy diet. Interventions should focus on increasing the familiarity, availability and accessibility of healthy foods and should be mindful of the need to target messages appropriately for boys who have less healthful food preferences than girls at all ages

Food Preferences of the Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)

The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) has been reported to eat vegetation, fruit, invertebrates, and occasionally fungi, eggs and meat. The relative preference between food types found in the wild, however, has not been investigated systematically in a controlled laboratory study. This research investigated captive possums’ food choice using two different methods of preference assessment. The first experiment involved a single stimulus assessment of possums’ (n = 20) consumption of individually presented food items. More than 75% of possums consumed berries, locusts and mushrooms but fewer than 50% of possums consumed fivefinger, raw chicken and eggs. The second experiment that used a paired stimulus assessment to establish relative preference for those foods revealed that no single food was preferred by all possums. Overall locusts were the most preferred food, followed in order of preference by berries, egg, mushrooms, chicken and foliage. The single stimulus preference assessment confirmed the palatability of foods. The paired stimulus assessment provided a rank order of food preferences

Toddlers' food preferences: The impact of novel food exposure, maternal preferences and food neophobia

Food preferences have been identified as a key determinant of children’s food acceptance and consumption. The aim of this study was to identify factors that influence children’s liking for fruits, vegetables and non-core foods. Participants were Australian mothers (median age at delivery=31 years, 18-46 years) and their two-year-old children (M=25 months, SD=1 month; 52% female) allocated to the control group (N=230) of the NOURISH RCT. The effects of repeated exposure to new foods, maternal food preferences and child food neophobia on toddlers’ liking of vegetables, fruits and non-core foods and the proportion never tried were examined via hierarchical regression models; adjusting for key maternal (age, BMI, education) and child covariates (birth weight Z-score, gender), duration of breastfeeding and age of introduction to solids. Maternal preferences corresponded with child preferences. Food neophobia among toddlers was associated with liking fewer vegetables and fruits, and trying fewer vegetables. Number of repeated exposures to new food was not significantly associated with food liking at this age. Results highlight the need to: (i) encourage parents to offer a wide range of foods, regardless of their own food preferences, and (ii) provide parents with guidance on managing food neophobia

Ethnic food preferences in the Spanish market

A labelled choice experiment is conducted in order to investigate preferences of Spanish consumers towards ethnic cuisines. In particular, the three best known cuisines, Mexican, Arab and Asian, are considered, across three consumption situations: restaurant, take-away and at home. Wald statistics are applied in order to assess the differential marginal utilities of ethnic food in alternative consumption situations, and the appropriateness of considering a linear effect in price.choice experiment, ethnic food, consumers, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

The relationship of parents' food preferences to children's food preferences

The purposes of this study were to determine if parents' food preferences are related to children's food preferences, to determine if parents assume that their food preferences are shared by their children, and to determine if parents' food preferences may decrease children's chances of eating a balanced diet. Information was also collected concerning how parents predict children's food preferences. Participants in the study were 25 three- and four- year-old children attending the Nursery School in the Department of Child Development and Family Relations, School of Home Economics, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The parents of the 25 children also participated in the study. Questionnaires were sent to the parents asking them to individually rate their preference for foods listed and to estimate their child's preference for the same foods. Parents were instructed to refrain from discussing their answers with their spouse or with the child or children. One parent was also asked to complete a three day dietary recall of all foods eaten at home by the child or children

Navajo Student Food Preferences

Adapt -- “to make suitable to requirements; adjust or modify fittingly. Adaptability is a trait which has been attributed to Navajo2 Indians by anthropologists, educators, novelists, psychologists, artists) -- in fact, by almost everyone who has had dealings with them over a period of time. Yet, to identify specific examples of their adaptability and the attempt to measure the effect upon interpersonal relations of evidences of adaptation has proved to be no easy task

Sleep and Food Preferences

Short sleep duration is correlated with an increased BMI, but the mechanisms behind this relationship are not fully known. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of sleep deprivation on dietary intake. Medical residents in good health served as subjects in this crossover study. Twenty adults aged 25 to 48 years completed two testing visits: one sleep deprived (≤ 4 hours of sleep) and one normal (≥ 6 hours of sleep). Food and beverage intake was collected on the days before and after testing by direct observation of breakfast and completion of 24-hour dietary recalls. Sleep deprivation did not significantly affect total energy intake the day after sleep manipulation. Mean energy intake under the sleep deprived condition was 2164.49± 946 calories and 2365.98±844 calories under the normal sleep condition (p=0.57). No differences were seen in macronutrient distribution between the two conditions. There were also no differences in caffeine, fiber, sodium, or sugar intake between the two conditions. In contrast to our expectation, sleep deprivation had no effect on total energy intake or macronutrient distribution. Further research in this area should continue to be conducted as similar studies have found mixed results, and no conclusive statements can be made at this time

Genetic and environmental influences on food preferences in adolescence

Background: Food preferences vary substantially among adults and children. Twin studies have established that genes and aspects of the shared family environment both play important roles in shaping children's food preferences. The transition from childhood to adulthood is characterized by large gains in independence, but the relative influences of genes and the environment on food preferences in late adolescence are unknown. Objective: The aim of this study was to quantify the contribution of genetic and environmental influences on food preferences in older adolescents. Design: Participants were 2865 twins aged 18-19 y from the TEDS (Twins Early Development Study), a large population-based cohort of British twins born during 1994-1996. Food preferences were measured by using a self-report questionnaire of 62 individual foods. Food items were categorized into 6 food groups (fruit, vegetables, meat or fish, dairy, starch foods, and snacks) by using factor analysis. Maximum likelihood structural equation modeling established genetic and environmental contributions to variations in preferences for each food group. Results: Genetic factors influenced a significant and substantial proportion of the variation in preference scores of all 6 food groups: vegetables (0.54; 95% CI: 0.47, 0.59), fruit (0.49; 95% CI: 0.43, 0.55), starchy foods (0.32; 95% CI: 0.24, 0.39), meat or fish (0.44; 95% CI: 0.38, 0.51), dairy (0.44; 95% CI: 0.37, 0.50), and snacks (0.43; 95% CI: 0.36, 0.49). Aspects of the environment that are not shared by 2 twins in a family explained all of the remaining variance in food preferences. Conclusions: Food preferences had a moderate genetic basis in late adolescence, in keeping with findings in children. However, by this older age, the influence of the shared family environment had disappeared, and only aspects of the environment unique to each individual twin influenced food preferences. This finding suggests that shared environmental experiences that influence food preferences in childhood may not have effects that persist into adulthood