Parents who display high levels of anxiety or depression during pregnancy or when their baby is young are more likely to have trouble getting their child to eat.
Children are more likely to hate or reject food during infancy and this behavior could be influenced by their parents, revealed a new study.The study published in the Journal Archives of Disease in Childhood reported that parents who are depressed during pregnancy or after childbirth have children who are fussy eaters. These children can also have weight issues and behavioral problems.
Researchers from the Erasmus MC-University Medical Center, Rotterdam studied 4,700 children born between 2002-2006 and analyzed their parents’ emotional health during and after pregnancy.
Parents were asked to complete questionnaires related to anxiety and depression and also on their children’s eating patterns. They found that 30% of children were fussy eaters when they were three years old. But they did not find the exact reason for the link between depression and fussy eating patterns.
“We observed that maternal and paternal internalizing problems were prospectively associated with fussy eating in pre-schoolers. Clinicians should be aware that not only severe anxiety and depression, but also milder forms of internalizing problems can affect child eating behavior,” stated the researchers.
Source-Medindia