Abstract Food neophobia (FN) has been extensively explored, especially in children. However, very few studies have compared this food behavior in children from different countries. Considering the clear diversity between European countries in feeding practices and food consumption, it is important to deepen the understanding of cross-national differences in child FN. The aim of this study was to explore and compare FN in five European countries (Finland, Italy, Spain, Sweden and UK) using a food neophobia scale specifically designed for children. Five hundred and twenty-nine children (54% girls) aged 9–12 years were recruited from schools in each country and were asked to complete the Italian Child Food Neophobia Scale (ICFNS, Laureati, Bergamaschi et al., 2015), which was translated into each respective language. Parents (n ≈ 300) completed a food consumption frequency questionnaire for their child, and provided background information. Reliability of the tool was assessed through internal consistency and temporal stability. Total internal consistency was 0.76. When calculated by country, internal consistency was satisfactory (Cronbach’s alpha >0.70) for all countries. FN was negatively associated to fruit and vegetable consumption, liking of wholegrain biscuits, and timing of introduction of semi-solid food. There were small but significant cross-national differences in FN with British and Swedish children being the most neophobic and significantly higher in FN than Finnish children, who were the most neophilic. Results indicate that the tool can be successfully used in all the tested countries with children in the age range of 9–12 years. The tool can be useful to measure the effects of interventions aiming at changing food behaviors, such as reducing FN, among children.

中文翻译：

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儿童食品恐新症的跨国差异：五个欧洲国家的比较

摘要 食物新恐惧症 (FN) 已被广泛探索，尤其是在儿童中。然而，很少有研究比较不同国家儿童的这种食物行为。考虑到欧洲国家在喂养方式和食物消费方面的明显差异，加深对儿童 FN 的跨国差异的理解非常重要。本研究的目的是使用专门为儿童设计的食物新恐惧症量表来探索和比较五个欧洲国家（芬兰、意大利、西班牙、瑞典和英国）的 FN。从每个国家的学校招募了 529 名 9-12 岁的儿童（54% 是女孩），并要求他们完成意大利儿童食品恐惧症量表（ICFNS，Laureati，Bergamaschi 等，2015），这是翻译成各自的语言。父母（n ≈ 300）为他们的孩子完成了一份食物消费频率问卷，并提供了背景信息。该工具的可靠性通过内部一致性和时间稳定性进行评估。总内部一致性为 0.76。当按国家计算时，所有国家的内部一致性都令人满意（Cronbach's alpha > 0.70）。FN 与水果和蔬菜的消费、全麦饼干的喜好以及引入半固体食物的时间呈负相关。FN 存在微小但显着的跨国差异，英国和瑞典儿童最怕新，并且 FN 明显高于芬兰儿童，后者最怕新。结果表明，该工具可以成功地用于所有有 9-12 岁年龄段儿童的测试国家。