Understanding how complementary feeding method longitudinally affects developmental outcomes in young children (2019-2023)
The Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of the National Research Council of Italy (ISTC-CNR) and the Sapienza University of Rome, in collaboration with Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Appalachian State University (USA), Aston University (UK) and Associazione Culturale Pediatri, worked on a research project on the development of eating behavior in children from 4 months to 2 years of age, funded by the Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research (PRIN 2017 -- Projects of Relevant National Interest; “SPOON” (Svezzamento e SviluPpO cOgNitivo; Prot. 2017WH8B84).
The development of eating behavior in early childhood is fundamental for healthy development and well-being throughout the lifespan. It is therefore important to investigate factors influencing the infant’s eating behavior during the transition from breast or formula milk to the introduction of solid foods. Like many other developmental milestones achieved by the child in the first and second year of life, learning to eat independently is a very important step, which each child reaches at different times.
There are still quite a few studies aiming at understanding which factors promote a healthy relationship with food in the first years of life and what are the implications of the complementary feeding method for child’s development.
To this end, we carried out an extensive research involving 195 mothers with their child, starting from 4 months of age and up to the second year of life. During this period, we met mothers and children five times (at 4, 8, 12, 18, and 24 months of age) in order to investigate the relationship between complementary feeding and motor, linguistic and cognitive developmental outcomes.
PRIN 2022 - Long-term impact of complementary feeding approach in preschool children: developmental outcomes, eating behaviour and food sustainability”
In June 2023, the “SPOON” Project was funded again from the Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research (PRIN 2022, Prot. 2022S8PEY7) to investigate the relationship between complementary feeding approaches and developmental oucomes in the preschool children who had previously participated in the first phase of the “SPOON” Project.
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