Don’t blame your children if they are fussy eaters,Fussy eating is mainly influenced by genes and is a stable trait lasting from toddlerhood to early adolescence, finds a new study led by researchers from UCL, King’s College London and the University of Leeds.
The study, published in the Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry and funded by the UK mental health charity MQ Mental Health Research, compared survey results of parents with identical or non-identical twins in England and Wales from the ages of 16 months to 13 years.
The research team found that average levels of food fussiness were relatively stable during this period, peaking somewhat around the age of seven and declining slightly after that.
They concluded that genetic differences in the population accounted for 60% of the variation in food fussiness at 16 months, rising to 74% and over between the ages of three and 13.
Environmental factors shared between twins, such as the types of foods that are eaten at home, were found to be significant only in toddlerhood, while environmental factors unique to each twin (i.e., not shared by co-twins), such as individual personal experiences (e.g., having different friends), became more influential in later years.
Food fussiness describes the tendency to eat a small range of foods, due to selectivity about textures or tastes, or reluctance to try new foods.
Lead author Dr Zeynep Nas (UCL Behavioural Science & Health) said: “Food fussiness is common among children and can be a major source of anxiety for parents and caregivers, who often blame themselves for this behaviour or are blamed by others.
“We hope our finding that fussy eating is largely innate may help to alleviate parental blame. This behaviour is not a result of parenting.
“Our study also shows that fussy eating is not necessarily just a ‘phase’, but may follow a persistent trajectory.”
