Abstract
Objective
To examine the relation between young adult picky eating (PE) and psychosocial outcomes
(eg, social phobia, quality of life) and dietary intake.
Design
Cross-sectional study including demographic, quantitative, and qualitative measures.
Participants
Midwestern undergraduate convenience sample (n = 488) recruited early 2020.
Main outcome measures
Picky eating identity and bias internalization, social phobia, quality of life, and
dietary intake.
Analyses
Pearson correlations were conducted among study variables. Independent t tests compared picky eaters and nonpicky eaters on key variables. Qualitative data
were coded using content analysis.
Results
Picky eaters reported eating less fiber (t[445] = −3.51; P < 0.001; d = 0.34) and vegetables (t[464] = −3.57; P < 0.001; d = 0.33), and reported more social phobia (t[336.84] = 4.04; P < 0.001; d = 0.39) than nonpicky eaters. Picky eating behaviors were positively correlated
with PE identity (r[190] = 0.48; P < 0.001; R2 = 0.23) and bias internalization (r[190] = 0.44; P < 0.001; R2 = 0.19).
Conclusions and Implications
Future research might explore additional factors that theoretically overlap with PE
behavior (eg, other eating styles, disordered eating patterns) or play a role in PE
(eg, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive difficulties). A greater understanding of these
factors may lead to intervention to reduce PE in adults. In addition, validation of
the PE identity and PE distress measures is essential for future use and to replicate
this study's findings.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
July 20,
2021
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The authors have not stated any conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
