Investigation And Analysis Of Food Neophobia In Preschool Children Based On Attribution Theory

Objectives1.To introduce and translate the Child Food Neophobia Scale(CFNS)into Chinese,a Chinese version of the CFNS was conducted in preschool children,with a view to providing an effective assessment tool for studies on the current situation of food neophobia among preschool children in China.2.The Chinese version of CFNS was applied to investigate the current situation of food neophobia in preschool children,analyze its influencing factors and potential targets for intervention,and provide a basis for constructing effective interventions.Methods1.Contacted by email with the original author of the scale,Professor Patricia Pliner,to explain and obtain permission.The Chinese version of the CFNS was developed by strictly following the Brislin double translation-back translation model,expert correspondence and pre-survey.A total of 356 preschool children and their parents from two public kindergartens in Yangzhou were selected in December 2021 using a convenience sampling method,a general information questionnaire,the Chinese version of the CFNS scale and the Chinese Preschoolers’ Eating Behavior Questionnaire(CPEBQ)were used to conduct the questionnaire.After 2 weeks,20 preschool children and their parents were randomly selected for repeated measures.EpiData 3.0,SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 26.0 software were used for data entry and reliability and validity testing.2.A total of 575 preschool children and their parents from one public kindergarten in a county town and one public kindergarten in a rural area were selected for the study using a convenience sampling method in Yangzhou,Jiangsu Province from December 2021 to January 2022.General information questionnaires,Chinese version of CFNS,Caregiver’s Feeding Styles Questionnaire(CFSQ),Parent Temperament Questionnaire(PTQ)for children aged 3-7 years were used.The questionnaires were administered using EpiData 3.0 and SPSS 26.0 software to analyze the current situation of food neophobia in preschool children and its influencing factors.Results1.The Chinese version of the CFNS deleted one entry,for a total of nine entries.The differences between the high and low subgroups of the total scale score for each entry of the scale were statistically significant(P<0.001),and the correlation coefficients between each entry and the total score ranged from 0.443 to 0.634(P<0.01),The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the Chinese version of the CFNS total scale was 0.740,with a 2-factor of 0.683 and 0.714 respectively,a fold-half reliability of 0.754,and a retest reliability of 0.736 after 2 weeks.Factors with characteristic root>1 were extracted as common factors in the exploratory factor analysis,and a total of 2 common factors were extracted,with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 49.275%.All the fit indices of the model in confirmatory factor met the reference standard and fitted well.The content validity of the scale was assessed by six experts and the content validity index(I-CVI)at the item level ranged from 0.833 to 1.000 and the mean content validity index(S-CVI/Ave)at the scale level was 0.983.The Chinese version of the CFNS scale scores were moderately correlated with the scores on the picky eating dimension of the Children’s Eating Behavior Questionnaire,with a correlation coefficient of 0.494(P<0.001).2.The prevalence of severe food neophobia in preschool children was 20.69%,which is moderate.Regression analysis showed that food allergies,place of residence,parental feeding style,child temperament,parents’ own willingness to try new foods and food preparation entered the regression equation(P<0.05),explaining 27.5%of the variance in the total food neophobia score.Parents’ own willingness to eat new foods was a negative predictor of food neophobia.Rarely or sometimes preparing foods that the child has not eaten,authoritarian feeding style(compared to neglectful parenting style),and easy-going temperament were protective factors for severe food neophobia in children;difficult temperament and slow-start were risk factors for severe food neophobia in children.Based on the above findings,more variables related to childhood food neophobia can be explored in the future in an attempt to find an effective target for intervention.Conclusions1.The Chinese version of CFNS has good reliability and validity,and can be used as an assessment tool for food neophobia in preschool children in China.2.The prevalence of food neophobia in preschool children is at an average level,with parental feeding styles,child temperament,parents’ own willingness to try new foods and food preparation,and a history of food allergies in children being important factors influencing food neophobia.This provides a basis for future research to identify children’s food neophobia in a timely manner and to conduct intervention studies to promote children’s nutritional intake and healthy development.