Now Reading: 77% of Hyderabad children aged 2 to 7 show food neophobia: ICMR-NIN study
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77% of Hyderabad children aged 2 to 7 show food neophobia: ICMR-NIN study
77% of Hyderabad children aged 2 to 7 show food neophobia: ICMR-NIN study
The Story in Brief
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: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report), telanganatoday.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
