Children with early refusal to eat: follow-up in adolescence

To describe the adolescent outcome of infant refusal to eat (RTE) and to investigate early predictors of adolescent outcomes.

19 of 25 children with RTE and 35 of 42 controls were assessed at age 16. The participants rated eating attitudes and self-perceptions with a Swedish version of the Children's Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT) and a Swedish self-perception measure. Weight and height were assessed through self-reports, and body mass index (BMI) was computed. Child and family variables measured from infancy through age 4 were used as predictors.

RTE and controls did not differ with regard to disturbed eating attitudes, BMI or self-perceptions. There were no relations between early predictors and adolescent disturbed eating for the whole sample, but breastfeeding problems and social adversity in the early years predicted negative self-perceptions, and weight at 4 y predicted adolescent BMI. For the RTE group, low birthweight predicted higher levels of disturbed eating attitudes and less positive self-perceptions. For the control group, social adversity predicted high BMI.

RTE does not seem to constitute a risk factor for adolescent disturbed eating. Further, there may be different risk factors for adolescent disturbed eating for children with and without RTE.