Food rejection is associated with tactile sensitivity and tactile appreciation in three-year-old children.

Food rejections are common in young children and often include healthy foods, hereby impairing the quality of their diet. Previous studies indicate that food texture may play a role in children's food preferences and intake. Building on these findings, as part of an ongoing longitudinal project, the present study investigated whether food rejection is related to tactile sensitivity and tactile appreciation in three-year-old children. A total of 259 children and 289 parents participated in the study. Child food rejection was measured using an ad libitum taste test, in which children were asked to try four different types of vegetables. Next to this, parents reported on their child's food rejection tendencies by completing the Child Food Rejection Scale (CFRS), and indicating their child's liking of 14 vegetables and 11 fruits (Liking of foods). Tactile appreciation was measured using a behavioural Affective Appreciation of Textures (AAT) task, in which children were asked to feel five different objects with their hands and were asked to indicate the pleasantness of the sensation on a three-point smiley-scale. The subscale Touch of the parental questionnaire Sensory Profile (SP-t) was further used to measure tactile sensitivity. Results show that stronger food rejection measured using an ad-libitum taste test is related to a dislike of textures measured using the AAT task. Similarly, parent-reported food rejection measured using CFRS and Liking of foods is positively related to parent-reported tactile sensitivity measured using SP-t. Together, these findings suggest that some children do not only reject food because of its taste, but also because of their dislike of textures. To increase healthy food intake in picky children, it may thus prove helpful to improve children's appreciation of textures.