Food Neophobia and Disgust Sensitivity in Medical Students

Abstract

Aim: Food neophobia, the avoidance of trying new flavours, is increasingly observed in the globalised world. There may be different reasons underlying food neophobia, which can be considered both as a personality trait and a symptom. In our study, we aimed to explore the relationship between food neophobia and disgust sensitivity in medical students. Material and Method: A total of 163 Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University Faculty of Medicine students who were continuing their education in the 2022–2023 academic year between 01.04.2023 and 01.07.2023 were included in the research. Sociodemographic data form, Food Neophobia Scale (FNS), Disgust Sensitivity Scale Revised Form (DSS-R) were applied online to all participants Results: DSS-R (mean=48.07±10.447) in females was statistically significantly higher than male gender (mean=43.8±9.57). (p=0.01). There was no significant difference between the FNS levels of the female and male genders (p=0.911). A significant positive correlation was found between DSS-R and FNS (p=0.08 r=0.208). Conclusions: There is a positive relationship between disgust sensitivity and food neophobia. It is important to explore the underlying factors of food neophobia, which may lead to significant nutritional problems. Disgust sensivity can be a cause of food nephobia. New research is needed on food neophobia leading to malnutrition and obesity in older age.

Keywords

• food neophobia
• disgust sensitivity
• medical students

References

1. 1. Rozin P, Vollmecke TA. Food likes and dislikes. Annu Rev Nutr. 1986;6:433–56.
2. 2. Martins Y, Pelchat ML, Pliner P. “Try it; it’s good and it’s good for you”: effects of taste and nutrition information on willingness to try novel foods. Appetite. 1997;28(2):89–102.
3. 3. Laureati M, Bergamaschi V, Pagliarini E. Assessing childhood food neophobia: Validation of a scale in Italian primary school children. Food Qual Prefer. 2015;40:8–15.
4. 4. Coulthard H, Aldridge V, Fox G. Food neophobia and the evaluation of novel foods in adults;the sensory, emotional, association (SEA) model of the decision to taste a novel food. Appetite. 2022;168:105764.
5. 5. Dotson CD, Babich J, Steinle NI. Genetic predisposition and taste preference: impact on food intake and risk of chronic disease. Curr Nutr Rep. 2012;1:175–83.
6. 6. Karaağaç Y, Bellikci-Koyu E. A narrative review on food neophobia throughout the lifespan: relationships with dietary behaviours and interventions to reduce it. Br J Nutr. 2022:1–34.
7. 7. Greggor AL, Thornton A, Clayton NS. Neophobia is not only avoidance: improving neophobia tests by combining cognition and ecology. Curr Opin Behav Sci. 2015;6:82–9.
8. 8. Ekman P. An argument for basic emotions. Cognition & Emotion. 1992;6(3–4):169–200.

9. 9. Luppino OI, Tenore K, Mancini F, Mancini A. The role of childhood experiences in the development of disgust sensitivity: A preliminary study on early moral memories. Clin Neuropsychiatry. 2023;20(2):109–21.
10. 10. Brassard SL, Laliberte M, MacKillop J, Balodis IM. Disgust sensitivity and behavioural inhibitory systems in binge eating disorder: associations with eating pathology. Eat Weight Disord. 2023;28(1):15.
11. 11. Białek-Dratwa A, Szczepańska E, Szymańska D, Grajek M, Krupa-Kotara K, Kowalski O. Neophobia-A natural developmental stage or feeding difficulties for children?. Nutrients. 2022;14(7).
12. 12. Kozak A, Czepczor-Bernat K, Modrzejewska J, Modrzejewska A, Matusik E, Matusik P. Avoidant/Restrictive Food Disorder (ARFID) , Food Neophobia, other eating-related behaviours and feeding practices among children with autism spectrum disorder and in non-clinical sample: A Preliminary Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(10):5822.
13. 13. Jaeger SR, Hedderley D, Prescott J. High arousal as the source of food rejection in food neophobia. Food Res Int. 2023;168:112795.
14. 14. Jaeger SR, Rasmussen MA, Prescott J. Relationships between food neophobia and food intake and preferences: Findings from a sample of New Zealand adults. Appetite. 2017;116:410–22.
15. 15. Karaağaç Y, Bellikci-Koyu E. A narrative review on food neophobia throughout the lifespan: Relationships with dietary behaviours and interventions to reduce it. Br J Nutr. 2023:13(5):793–826.
16. 16. Ranganathan J, Waite R, Searchinger T, Hanson C. How to sustainably feed 10 billion people by 2050, in 21 charts. 2018.
17. 17. Dönmez ÖÇ, Sevim B. Yükseköğretim kurumlarının gıda ile ilgili bölümlerindeki öğrencilerin neofobi düzeylerinin belirlenmesi. GSI Journals Serie A. Advancements in Tourism Recreation and Sports Sciences. 2023;6(2):288–300.
18. 18. Lee S, Park H, Ahn Y. The influence of tourists’ experience of quality of street foods on destination’s image, life satisfaction, and word of mouth: the moderating impact of food neophobia. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;17(1):163.
19. 19. Mancinelli E, Bassi G, Salcuni S. Predisposing and Motivational Factors Related to Social Network Sites Use: Systematic Review. JMIR Form Res. 2019;3(2):e12248.
20. 20. Özgür E. Yaşa göre değer farklılıkları ve siyasi kuşak aidiyeti. İstanbul University Journal of Sociology. 2013;3(26):45–76.
21. 21. Sahrin S, Banna MHA, Rifat MA, Tetteh JK, Ara T, Hamiduzzaman M, et al. Food neophobia and its association with sociodemographic factors and food preferences among Bangladeshi university students: Evidence from a cross-sectional study. Heliyon. 2023;9(5):e15831.
22. 22. Pliner P, Hobden K. Development of a scale to measure the trait of food neophobia in humans. Appetite. 1992;19(2):105–20.
23. 23. Duman E, Akçil Ok M, Keser A. Besin neofobisi ölçeğinin Türkçeye uyarlanması: geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Kocaeli Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi. 2020;6(2):157–61.
24. 24. Van Overveld WJM, De Jong PJ, Peters ML, Cavanagh K, Davey GCL. Disgust propensity and disgust sensitivity: Separate constructs that are differentially related to specific fears. Pers Individ Dif. 2006;41(7):1241–52.
25. 25. Arusoğlu G. The validity and reliability study of the disgust propensity and sensitivity scale –revised in Turkish. International Academic Social Resources Journal. 2021;6(25):888–95.
26. 26. Aharoni R, Hertz MM. Disgust sensitivity and anorexia nervosa. Eur Eat Disord Rev. 2012;20(2):106–10.
27. 27. Bressan P, Kramer P. Progesterone does raise disgust. Horm Behav. 2022;137:104937.
28. 28. Smith WI, Powell EK, Ross S. Food aversions: some additional personality correlates. J Consult Psychol. 1955;19(2):145–9.
29. 29. Ceylan V, Şahingöz SA. Determination of food neophobia level in adult individuals. Journal of Tourism & Gastronomy Studies. 2019;7(2):772–84.
30. 30. Tian H, Chen J. Food neophobia and intervention of university students in China. Food Sci Nutr. 2021;9(11):6224–31.
31. 31. Knaapila A, Silventoinen K, Broms U, Rose RJ, Perola M, Kaprio J, et al. Food neophobia in young adults: genetic architecture and relation to personality, pleasantness and use frequency of foods, and body mass index--a twin study. Behav Genet. 2011;41(4):512–21.
32. 32. Pliner P, Melo N. Food neophobia in humans: effects of manipulated arousal and individual differences in sensation seeking. Physiol Behav. 1997;61(2):331–5.
33. 33. Galloway AT, Fiorito LM, Francis LA, Birch LL. ‘Finish your soup’: counterproductive effects of pressuring children to eat on intake and affect. Appetite. 2006;46(3):318–23.
34. 34. Rodrigues JVS, Poli MCF, Petrilli PH, Dornelles RCM, Turcio KH, Theodoro LH. Food selectivity and neophobia in children with autism spectrum disorder and neurotypical development: a systematic review. Nutr Rev. 2023;81(8):1034–50.
35. 35. Sarin HV, Taba N, Fischer K, Esko T, Kanerva N, Moilanen L, et al. Food neophobia associates with poorer dietary quality, metabolic risk factors, and increased disease outcome risk in population-based cohorts in a metabolomics study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019;110(1):233–45.
36. 36. Proserpio C, Laureati M, Invitti C, Pagliarini E. Reduced taste responsiveness and increased food neophobia characterize obese adults. Food Qual Prefer. 2018;63:73–9.
37. 37. Kutlu MB. Tüketicilerin tiksinme duyarlılığı ile riskten kaçınma ve marka sadakati arasındaki ilişki: huy temelli bir yaklaşım. Sivas Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi. 2019:212.
38. 38. Ammann J, Hartmann C, Siegrist M. Development and validation of the food disgust picture scale. Appetite. 2018;125:367–79.
39. 39. Rozin P, Tuorila H. Simultaneous and temporal contextual influences on food acceptance. Food Qual Prefer. 1993;4(12):11–20.
40. 40. Valentino V, De Filippis F, Menghi L, Gasperi F, Ercolini D. Food Neophobia and scarce olfactory performances are linked to oral microbiota. Food Res Int. 2022;155:111092.