Impact of parental food choices on child food neophobia

This study examined the impact of parental food choices on children's willingness to try new foods. The participants were 33 students in Grades 5 and 6 in one public school in Cincinnati, Ohio. One parent per student completed the Food Neophobia Scale (FNS) and food records. Outcome measures included (a) FNS scores for both parents and children, and (b) Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores and number of different foods consumed by parents only. Parent-child FNS scores were significantly correlated. Negative associations occurred between the parent HEI fruit score and the child FNS score and the number of different foods consumed by the parent and the child FNS score. Findings suggest that parental food choices influence children's responses to new foods.