2026 Volume 76 Issue 2 Pages 110-118
Recently, “swallowing without chewing well” and “swallowing whole food” have become problematic in early childhood. Therefore, support is needed to promote the acquisition of favorable eating behavior at this time. However, there is insufficient evidence identifying factors associated with such behavior that parents are concerned about. This study aimed to elucidate these factors in 5-year-old children and guardians’ consideration of meals, and investigate their relationships. The study subjects were 62 guardians of kindergarten children. We administered a questionnaire survey consisting of 22 items (eating behavior: 14 items; factors related to mouth breathing: 4 items; guardians’ consideration of meals: 4 items), and subsequently analyzed relationships among items. Significant correlations were noted among the items: “Picky eating: No” and “Incorporating tough foods,” “Incorporating foods that need to be chewed,” and “Preparing ingredients as large pieces” (Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient: r=0.386, p<0.01; r=0.294, p<0.05; r=0.299, p<0.05, respectively). The item “Swallowing food without chewing it properly: No” was significantly correlated with “Incorporating tough foods” and “Incorporating foods that need to be chewed” (Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient: r=0.310, p<0.05; r=0.252, p<0.05, respectively). Furthermore, “Posture at mealtimes” and “Concentration on eating” were significantly correlated with “Incorporating tough foods” (Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient: r=0.403, p<0.01; r=0.411, p<0.01, respectively). The findings suggest that problematic eating behavior of 5-year-old children is associated with guardians’ consideration of meals.
