# 77% of Hyderabad children aged 2 to 7 show food neophobia: ICMR-NIN study 2026-10-28T19:42:01+00:00 | Health & Science | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets A study by the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) has found that nearly 77% of children aged two to seven in a low-income community in Hyderabad exhibited moderate food neophobia, or reluctance to try unfamiliar foods. Published in the Journal of Nutritional Science, the cross-sectional study examined 150 mother-child pairs in Addagutta between August and October 2025. The study found that 11.3% of children had high food neophobia, while 12% had low levels. Boys scored higher on average than girls, though the difference was not statistically significant. Children with wasting, a form of acute malnutrition, recorded higher food neophobia scores. Mothers’ knowledge, attitudes and feeding practices were linked to children’s willingness to try new foods. Lead researcher Karthikeyan Ramanujam said early childhood nutrition programmes should encourage caregivers to offer a variety of foods repeatedly without pressure. ICMR-NIN director Bharati Kulkarni said existing programmes such as ICDS and POSHAN Abhiyaan could be used to strengthen feeding counselling. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both Times of India and Telangana Today published near-identical accounts of the ICMR-NIN study, reporting the same figures, methodology and researcher quotes. The coverage is uniform straight reporting with no discernible slant. The key finding, that 77% of children showed moderate food neophobia and that maternal feeding practices were associated with the trait, is presented without editorial comment in both outlets. The studies’ limitations, including the small sample size and single-location design, are acknowledged. The policy implication noted by both is the potential to strengthen feeding counselling through existing government programmes such as ICDS and POSHAN Abhiyaan. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Straight presentation of study findings with researcher quotes - telanganatoday.com (neutral report) Similar neutral reporting with emphasis on maternal KAP link This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Hyderabad, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Integrated Child Development Services, Journal of Nutritional Science, Poshan Abhiyaan Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/77-of-hyderabad-children-aged-2-to-7-show-food-neophobia-icmr-nin-study/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/77-of-hyderabad-children-aged-2-to-7-show-food-neophobia-icmr-nin-study/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/