Objective: To examine the association between parental anxiety and depression with child fussy eating-that is, consistent rejection of particular food items.
Design: This study was embedded in Generation R, a prospective cohort from fetal life onwards in the Netherlands.
Setting: Population-based.
Participants: 4746 4-year-old children and their parents.
Exposure: Parental internalising problems (ie, symptoms of anxiety and depression) were assessed with the Brief Symptoms Inventory during pregnancy and the preschool period (child age 3 years).
Main outcome measure: The food fussiness scale of the Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire.
Results: Maternal anxiety during pregnancy and during the child's preschool period was related to higher food fussiness sum-scores in children. For instance, per point on the anxiety scale in pregnancy, children had on average a 1.02 higher sum-score (95% CI 0.59 to 1.46) on the food fussiness scale, after adjustment for confounders. Likewise, mothers' depressive symptoms at both time points were associated with fussy eating behaviour in their children (eg, in the antenatal period: per point on the depression scale, children had a 0.91 point higher sum-score on the food fussiness scale, 95% CI 0.49 to 1.33). We found largely similar associations between fathers' internalising problems and children's fussy eating. However, fathers' anxiety during the antenatal period was not related to child fussy eating.
Conclusions: Maternal and paternal internalising problems were prospectively associated with fussy eating in preschoolers. Healthcare practitioners should be aware that non-clinical symptoms of anxiety and depression in parents are risk factors for child fussy eating.
Keywords: Child Psychology; Epidemiology; Nutrition.
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