Background and aims: Identifying the determinants in the acceptance of food at an early age can help in the acquisition of healthy eating habits and the prevention of future health problems. We aim to analyze the relationship between the sociodemographic and feeding characteristics, lifestyle, living conditions and well-being of Spanish mothers with food acceptance problems in their toddlers.
Methods: 511 mothers with a toddler (12-24 months) completed a web-based survey to obtain data on demographic and anthropometric characteristics, feeding styles, time of weaning, toddlers’ characteristics when eating, lifestyle, living conditions, personal well-being and child's problems to accept cereals, fruits, vegetables, meat and fish. The associations between these factors and food acceptance problems for each category were analyzed using Spearman's correlation coefficient, U Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis tests.
Results: 27.6% of children accepted all food groups without problems. Greater satisfaction with life (rs –0.178, p 0.000) and parenting (rs –0.155, p 0.001) was significantly associated with fewer problems introducing food. On the contrary, a higher level of stress (rs 0.120, p 0.007) and fatigue (rs 0.124, p 0.006) were related to a worse acceptance. A higher score of responsiveness was associated to fewer problems to introduce fruits (rs –0.112, p 0.011). Children who always eat baby foods (p 0.039) or eat watching the TV or any other entertainment (p. 0.033) showed more problems to introduce fruits.
Conclusions: Maternal feeding styles, personal well-being and characteristics of children when eating may favor or make difficult the acceptance of food in Spanish toddlers.

EARLY DETERMINANTS OF THE APPEARANCE OF PROBLEMS TO INTRODUCE FOOD IN TODDLERS