Trajectories of Picky Eating in Low-Income US Children | American Academy of Pediatrics

Trajectories of Picky Eating in Low-Income US Children | American Academy of Pediatrics: Video Abstract BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Picky eating is common, yet little is known about trajectories of picky eating in childhood. Our objectives were to examine trajectories of child picky eating in low-income US children from ages 4 to 9 years and associations of those trajectories with participant characteristics, including child BMI z score (BMIz) and maternal feeding-behavior trajectories. METHODS: Mother-child dyads ( N = 317) provided anthropometry and reported on picky eating and maternal feeding behaviors via questionnaires at child ages 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9 years. At baseline, mothers reported on demographics and child emotional regulation. Trajectories of picky eating and maternal feeding behaviors were identified by using latent class analysis. Bivariate analyses examined associations of picky-eating trajectory membership with baseline characteristics and maternal feeding-behavior trajectory memberships. A linear mixed model was used to examine the association of BMIz with picky-eating trajectories. RESULTS: Three trajectories of picky eating emerged: persistently low ( n = 92; 29%), persistently medium ( n = 181; 57%), and persistently high ( n = 44; 14%). Members