Investigation of food refusal in children in terms of adult selective eating behavior and parental attitude variables

This study aimed to examine food refusal in children in terms of picky eating behavior in adults and parental attitudes. The study sample consisted of 300 parents whose children between the ages of 2 and 6 were diagnosed with food refusal and resided in Istanbul. The Personal Information Form, the Child Food Refusal Scale (CFRS), the Parental Attitude Scale (PAS), and the Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire (ADQ) prepared by the researcher were used as data collection tools. The data obtained in the study were analyzed using SPSS 22. According to the results obtained, the mean score of the participants on the Child Food Refusal Scale (CFRS) was determined as 25.00±9.35. The mean score in the neophobia subscale was determined as 9.90±4.14. The mean Picky Eating score was 15.09±6.09. The mean score of the Parental Attitude Scale (PAS) was 139.55±15.40. A significant and negative relationship was found between the Democratic Attitude sub-dimension of the EAS scale and the MBRS; a significant and positive relationship was found between the Democratic Attitude sub dimension and the MBRS; and a significant and positive relationship was found between the Permissive Attitude sub-dimension and the MBRS; and a significant and positive relationship was found between all sub-dimensions of the scales. A significant difference was found in picky eating scores between girls and boys, with boys scoring higher. It was determined that only in the neophobia subscale, children who had a caregiver other than their parents had significantly higher scores. There was no difference in food refusal scores based on school attendance. There were also no significant differences in food refusal based on participants' income, smoking status, or decision-making status at home. However, differences were found based on parental factors such as taste, texture, and age. A positive relationship was found between the YSYA and MBRS, and similar relationships were found between the sub-dimensions. These findings suggest that there are significant relationships between food refusal in children and parental attitudes and picky eating behavior in adults, and that democratic attitudes, in particular, may play a protective role while permissive attitudes may play a risk-increasing role.