Table 2.
Proportion of picky and non-picky eaters endorsing anomalous eating behaviors
| Item text | Percent endorsement | χ2(1) | ɸ | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picky | Non-picky | ||||
| Other eating behaviors | |||||
| My choice of foods is influenced by religious practices (for example, kosher), nutritional or health concerns (for example, low-salt diet), or ethical considerations (for example, vegetarian diet) | 24% (n = 154) |
23% (n = 290) |
0.05 | 0.01 | 0.83 |
| I have food allergies or medically imposed dietary restrictions | 24 (n = 158) |
16 (n = 288) |
4.78 | 0.10 | 0.03 |
| I am often on a diet to lose weight | 30 (n = 159) |
19 (n = 286) |
6.17 | 0.12 | 0.01 |
| Narrow range | |||||
| I eat from a very narrow range of foods (fewer than 10 different foods). | 41 (n = 160) |
9 (n = 291) |
64.37 | .38 | <.001* |
| I almost always avoid one or more major group(s) of foods (for example, meat, vegetables, dairy products, starches/grains, sweets). | 39 (n = 157) |
18 (n = 289) |
25.66 | 0.24 | <.001* |
| Neophobia | |||||
| I do not like to try new foods. | 40 (n = 160) |
12 (n = 289) |
48.12 | 0.33 | <.001* |
| Sensory rejection: taste | |||||
| I almost always reject bitter foods, even if they are only slightly bitter. | 47 (n = 160) |
30 (n = 289) |
13.12 | 0.17 | <.001* |
| I almost always reject sour foods | 39 (n = 155) |
17 (n = 283) |
25.87 | 0.24 | <.001* |
| I almost always reject salty foods | 33 (n = 160) |
20 (n = 290) |
8.20 | 0.14 | .004 |
| I almost always reject sweet foods | 14 (n = 160) |
9 (n = 291) |
3.16 | 0.08 | .08 |
| Sensory rejection: texture | |||||
| I almost always avoid foods with a particular consistency (texture) (for example, foods that are crunchy, gelatinous, or very chewy). | 29 (n = 157) |
16 (n = 287) |
10.24 | 0.15 | .001* |
| I almost always reject foods that are slippery or “slimy” (for example, okra, oysters, soft boiled egg or fried egg) | 58 (n = 159) |
25 (n = 291) |
46.45 | 0.32 | <.001* |
| Sensory rejection: appearance | |||||
| I almost always reject only foods that are a particular color. | 15 (n = 158) |
5 (n = 290) |
14.15 | 0.18 | .001* |
| I almost always prefer to eat only foods that are a particular color. | 11 (n = 160) |
4 (n = 290) |
7.20 | 0.13 | .01 |
| Contact or mixing | |||||
| I almost always reject foods that are mixed or combined (for example, peas and carrots, a sandwich with several things in it, things like tuna salad). | 21 (n = 159) |
2 (n = 290) |
44.54 | 0.32 | <.001* |
| I almost always reject foods with “lumps” in them (for example, a sauce with pieces in it or a stew), even if they are supposed to be that way (so this does not mean lumpy oatmeal or gravy) | 25 (n = 160) |
5 (n = 289) |
39.54 | 0.30 | <.001* |
| I almost always refuse foods that have “things” in them (for example, a cookie with raisins in it, a brownie with nuts in it) | 19 (n = 160) |
7 (n = 291) |
13.69 | 0.17 | <.001* |
| I almost always refuse foods with sauces on them (for example, pasta with tomato sauce, turkey with gravy) | 8 (n = 159) |
1 (n = 291) |
11.42 | 0.16 | .001* |
| I almost always reject foods if there is something I can’t see in them (for example, filled foods like eggrolls, dumplings, ravioli). | 34 (n = 160) |
5 (n = 290) |
67.24 | 0.39 | <.001* |
| I try not to let different foods touch on my plate. | 30 (n = 159) |
12 (n = 291) |
22.26 | 0.22 | <.001* |
| I almost always reject foods that have touched on the plate. | 19 (n = 149) |
4 (n = 282) |
26.27 | 0.25 | <.001* |
| Ritualization/repetition | |||||
| I almost always prefer to eat with a special person(s), in a special place or with special utensils/dishes. | 17 (n = 159) |
7 (n = 289) |
11.06 | 0.16 | .001* |
| I usually eat foods in sequence in the main course (for example, all peas first, then all mashed potatoes, etc.). | 24 (n = 159) |
18 (n = 290) |
2.58 | 0.08 | .11 |
| I often eat foods in an unusual order (for example, dessert first). | 16 (n = 158) |
10 (n = 289) |
3.22 | 0.09 | .07 |
| I eat the same meal for breakfast every day or most days. | 47 (n = 159) |
45 (n = 283) |
0.07 | 0.01 | .79 |
| I eat the same meal for lunch every day or most days. | 22 (n = 158) |
17 (n = 288) |
1.60 | 0.06 | .21 |
| I eat the same meal for supper every day or most days. | 10 (n = 159) |
5 (n = 288) |
5.20 | 0.11 | .02 |
| Usually, I will not eat a food if I saw someone else touch it. | 62 (n = 157) |
33 (n = 287) |
34.02 | 0.28 | <.001* |
| Interest in food/social eating | |||||
| I look forward a lot to eating. | 55 (n = 159) |
66 (n = 289) |
4.80 | −0.10 | .03 |
| I often miss meals because I am preoccupied or busy and forget to eat. | 52 (n = 159) |
35 (n = 284) |
11.79 | 0.16 | .001* |
| When I go out, my activities often include food as a central focus. | 39 (n = 158) |
7 (n = 288) |
13.30 | −0.17 | <.001* |
| Enjoying food is one of the most important pleasures in my life. | 47 (n = 158) |
58 (n = 288) |
4.69 | −0.10 | .03 |
| I prefer to leave a clean plate | 50 (n = 159) |
70 (n = 290) |
17.49 | −0.20 | <.001* |
| When I am invited to dinner, I worry that there may be nothing that I can eat. | 55 (n = 159) |
8 (n = 290) |
121.53 | 0.52 | <.001* |
| I have fond memories of family food occasions. | 70 (n = 158) |
75 (n = 288) |
1.50 | −0.06 | .22 |
| My memories of meals with my family when I was a child include a lot of tension about what or how much I was eating. | 24 (n = 159) |
22 (n = 287) |
0.15 | 0.02 | .70 |
| Healthy eating | |||||
| I am a healthy eater | 42 (n = 159) |
63 (n = 282) |
19.21 | −0.21 | <.001* |
| I prefer to eat “health food.” | 41 (n = 158) |
45 (n = 288) |
0.55 | −0.04 | .46 |
| I usually choose low- or no-fat foods over the full-fat version. | 32 (n = 158) |
39 (n = 289) |
2.23 | −0.07 | .14 |
*
results significant after correcting for multiple hypothesis tests