Staff feeding practices, food neophobia, and educational level in early education and care settings: a cross-sectional study.

Feeding practices in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings are important for the development of healthy eating habits early in life. However, there is limited research on feeding practices among ECEC staff working with infants and toddlers, and how these practices relate to staff education. This study assessed the feeding practices, level of food neophobia, and participation in shared meals among ECEC staff, and examined whether there were differences in feeding practices related to education and shared meals. Furthermore, we explored the association between food neophobia levels among ECEC staff and their respective feeding practices in ECEC. In total, 130 ECEC teachers and other staff from two Norwegian ECEC trials completed a questionnaire about feeding practices and level of food neophobia. Our results showed that ECEC staff commonly used modelling and encouraging balance and variety feeding practices, but used food as a reward and emotion regulation less often. These...