Picky Eating in Preschoolers Is Not Always Benign

Severe selective eating was associated with elevated risk for depression and social anxiety.

Picky eating, formally known as selective eating (SE), is an unwillingness to eat familiar foods or try new foods in the context of a parent who sees it as a problem or concern. It occurs in about 30% of toddlers and persists in about 20% of preschool-age children.

In a population-based cohort study, 917 preschool-age children (average age, 3.9 years) were recruited from primary care practices. Caregivers participated in a structured diagnostic interview focused on the child's restricted range of food consumption, self-regulatory capacities, psychiatric symptoms, and the home environment.

Moderate SE (a restricted diet only) was found in 17.7% of the group, and severe SE (a restricted diet that limits a child's ability to eat with others) occ…

Reviewing Author

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics