Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 26, 2025

Psychophysical Tracking Method to Measure Taste Preferences in Children and Adults
Published on: July 16, 2016
Taste sensitivity and lifestyle are associated with food preferences and BMI in children
Lénia Rodrigues1, Rosa Silverio2, Ana Rodrigues Costa3
1MED (Institute for Mediterranean Agriculture, Environment and Development), IIFA, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal.
Abstract:
Oral food perception together with lifestyle may affect food preferences and choices, influencing weight gain and obesity development. The present study was designed to evaluate the association of biological (taste sensitivity) and lifestyle variables with children food preferences, assessing whether all these variables contribute to explain BMI percentile. After anthropometric evaluation, 387 children were classified for bitter and sweet taste sensitivities. Socioeconomic/lifestyle aspects and hedonics for 36 foods were collected. Watching TV during meals associate with lower preference for several vegetables, as well as being sweet taste low sensitive, in the case of girls. Moreover, regression analysis showed that bitter taste sensitivity is one of the variables contributing to explain high BMI percentiles. These results present evidences that both biological and socioeconomic and the attention that is given to food (eating in the presence or absence of distractors) are aspects that should be considered in children nutrition to prevent obesity.
More Related Videos
10:29Measuring Oral Fatty Acid Thresholds, Fat Perception, Fatty Food Liking, and Papillae Density in Humans
Published on: June 4, 2014
08:52Psychophysical Tracking Method to Assess Taste Detection Thresholds in Children, Adolescents, and Adults: The Taste Detection Threshold TDT Test
Published on: April 21, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Taste Buds and Receptors
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption
Conditioned Taste Aversion
A notable characteristic of conditioned taste aversion is that it often requires only a single...
Obesity
Bulimia Nervosa
Nature and Nurture