Food neophobia and its association with diet quality and weight in children aged 24 months: a cross sectional study

Table 2 Hierarchical multiple regression analyses of relationship between child food neophobia and fruit variety, vegetable variety, discretionary food intake and weight (child age M = 24.0 ± SD = 0.7 months; n = 330), controlling for significant covariates

	Fruit variety score ^a		Vegetable variety score ^b		Percent energy from discretionary foods ^c		BMI Z-score ^d
Mean ± SD	4.2 ± 2.1		4.9 ± 2.9		18.4 ± 10.2		0.8 ± 1.0
	B (SE)	β	B (SE)	β	B (SE)	β	B (SE)	β
Step 1	ΔR² = 0.093**		ΔR² = 0.046*		ΔR² = 0.041*		ΔR² = 0.16**
Maternal age at delivery	0.073 (0.024)	0.17*	0.12 (0.033)	0.21**	−0.23 (0.12)	−0.107	−0.021 (0.012)	−0.099
Maternal BMI at T1	−0.026 (0.019)	−0.071	−0.017 (0.026)	−0.034	0.079 (0.10)	0.045	0.024 (0.0090)	0.14*
Maternal education (not university vs university)	0.88 (0.23)	0.21**	0.59 (0.31)	0.10	−0.89 (1.16)	−0.043	0.027 (0.11)	0.013
Other children (no vs yes)	−0.52 (0.25)	−0.12*	−0.59 (0.34)	−0.097	3.60 (1.25)	0.17*	−0.077 (0.12)	−0.035
Infant weight-for-age Z-score^e	−0.071 (0.11)	−0.034	−0.047 (0.15)	−0.016	0.72 (0.56)	0.070	0.35 (0.054)	0.34**
Step 2	ΔR² = 0.025*		ΔR² = 0.082**		ΔR² = 0.013*		ΔR² = 0.004
Total CFNS score^f	−0.092 (0.030)	−0.16*	−0.23 (0.041)	−0.29**	0.32 (0.15)	0.11*	−0.017 (.015)	−0.061
Final model	R² = 0.12**		R² = 0.13**		R² = 0.054*		R² = 0.17**

*p ≤ 0.05; **p < 0.001; B = unstandardized regression coefficient, β = standardized regression coefficient (values are from the final model).
^aNumber of different fruit subgroups eaten over three days (30 fruit sub-groups in total).
^bNumber of different vegetable subgroups eaten over three days (35 vegetable sub-groups in total).
^cAverage energy contributed by discretionary foods as a percentage of average daily energy intake over three days
^dCalculated at child age M = 24.0, SD = 0.7 months using WHO Anthro software program version 3.0.1 and macros [33].
^eCalculated at child ageM = 5.2, SD = 1.3 months using WHO Anthro software program version 3.0.1 and macros [33].
^fTotal score on Child Food Neophobia Scale [29], 6 items, 4 point scale, higher scores indicative of stronger behavioural display of neophobia; reported by mother at child age M = 24.0, SD = 0.7 months.

ISSN: 1479-5868