Olfactory performance and odor liking are negatively associated with food neophobia in children aged between 3 and 9 years.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Child food neophobia, i.e., rejection or avoidance of novel foods at a young age, is a prevalent nutrition problem that affects the quality of children's diet and impedes the development of healthy food preferences. Sensory sensitivity can relate to the degree of food neophobia, but previous studies rarely focused on the olfactory component of this problem in children.

Objective

We aimed to thoroughly examine the relationship between various aspects of olfactory sensitivity and food neophobia in children.

Methods

246 children aged between three and nine years took part in a food neophobia assessment as well as in a comprehensive, psychophysical olfactory testing.

Results

We found that certain smell perception aspects such as lower odor liking, poorer

SUBMITTER: Sorokowska A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11389506 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature