Outline of the Fourth Longitudinal Survey of Newborns in the 21st Century

(2) Concerns about Children's Eating Behaviors

80.3% respondents said they were "concerned" about children's eating behaviors.

The proportion of children who "skip breakfast sometimes" was higher with children without elder siblings, and/or those who go to bed late.

80.3% respondents said they were "concerned" about children's eating behaviors. More boys than girls were reported to have "many likes and dislikes," "do not bite well," and/or "do not sit still when eating (for example, play while eating)." As for the composition of siblings, the rate of "concerned" respondents was lower with children with "elder sibling(s) only" or with "both elder and younger siblings."

While the general rate of children who "skip breakfast sometimes" stood at 12.7%, the percentage dropped below 10% for children with "elder sibling(s) only" or with "both elder and younger siblings," and who have gone to bed "before 9:00 pm since the 2nd survey" or "in the 9:00 pm range since the 2nd survey," in comparison to the higher rate of children who "skip breakfast sometimes" with the "only child" or "younger sibling(s) only," and/or those who have gone to bed "after 10:00 pm since the 2nd survey" (Table 10).

The rates of children who "eat very little," "have many likes and dislikes," and/or "skip breakfast sometimes" increased from the previous survey.

Comparing the concerns about children's eating behaviors with the data from the 3rd survey, fewer respondents were concerned in the 4th survey about "eat too much or very little at times," "do not bite well," or "do not sit still when eating (for example, play while eating)," while more were concerned about the children who "eat very little," "have many likes and dislikes," and/or "skip breakfast sometimes" (Figure 7).