Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 6, 2025
A Treatment Package without Escape Extinction to Address Food Selectivity
Published on: August 21, 2015
Randomized trial of a self-administered parenting intervention for selective eating in young children
Kelly Tanner1, Rob Dempster1, Anthony Castillo1
1Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States of America.
Insights
A self-administered intervention for selective eating in children showed promise, reducing mealtime challenges for parents. However, low engagement with video materials suggests a need for improved parent participation strategies.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Behavioral Interventions
Background:
- Selective eating is a prevalent childhood feeding issue linked to family stress and nutritional deficits.
- Existing behavioral strategies face implementation barriers.
- Parental engagement with self-administered interventions requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a self-administered intervention for parents of selective eaters.
- To assess the efficacy of a video and handout intervention compared to handouts alone.
Main Methods:
- 156 parents of children aged 18 months to 6 years with selective eating were randomized.
- Intervention groups: handout + video modules vs. handout only.
- Outcome measures assessed pre- and 4 weeks post-intervention.
Main Results:
- Low engagement observed: only 23% viewed more than one video module.
- Both groups showed significant reductions in maladaptive parenting practices and child mealtime behaviors.
- No significant difference in outcomes between the intervention groups.
Conclusions:
- The self-administered intervention reduced problematic mealtime behaviors, irrespective of video component engagement.
- Parental engagement with self-administered intervention materials remains a challenge.
- Future research should focus on enhancing parent participation in digital health interventions for childhood selective eating.
Abstract:
Selective eating is a common childhood feeding problem associated with family stress and micronutrient deficiencies. While there are empirically-supported behavioral strategies for addressing selective eating, there are significant systems-level barriers to implementing them. The aim of this study was to develop and test a self-administered intervention for parents of children with selective eating. Participants were 156 parents of children with selective eating ages 18 months-6 years who were randomly assigned to either the handout + video condition (8-module video intervention and detailed handout) or handout condition (detailed handout only). Outcome measures were administered pre-intervention and 4 weeks post-intervention. Only 23 % of participants in the handouts plus video condition played more than one video module. Both groups had significant decreases in maladaptive mealtime parenting practices, undesired child mealtime behaviors, and number of foods offered. No significant effect of study condition was found on the outcome measures. Further research is needed to determine how to encourage engagement of parents with self-administered intervention materials.
