Picky eating among children may not be just a passing phase but
could flag potential concerns such as depression and anxiety, a study
released Monday found.
According to the Duke Medicine report in the journal Paediatrics, more than 20 percent of children aged 2-6 are picky eaters.
About 18 percent of those were classified as moderately picky and another three percent as extremely so.
It
was in these subsets — kids who are moderately or severely fussy about
the foods they eat — that scientists found greater occurrence of mental
health issues such as clinical depression or anxiety.
Since
picky eating can also cause poor nutrition and family conflict, the
report said, it appears
important for parents and medical staff to keep
an eye on a risk of underlying emotional issues.
LIMITED, SELECTIVE
"These
are children whose eating has become so limited or selective that it's
starting to cause problems," said lead author Nancy Zucker, director of
the Duke Centre for Eating Disorders.
"Impairment
can take many different forms. It can affect the child's health,
growth, social functioning, and the parent-child relationship. The child
can feel like no one believes them, and parents can feel blamed for the
problem."
Children whose picky
eating becomes a serious challenge also may have what doctors now call
"Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder."
Mental
health professionals believe they can help some of these children with
behavioural therapy over foods that may cause them anxiety.
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