• Helena Dória Ribeiro de Andrade Previato and Jorge Herman Behrens.
• Department of Food and Nutrition, School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. Electronic address: helenapreviato@hotmail.com.
• Nutrition. 2017 Oct 1; 42: 23-29.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the association of taste-related factors (craving for sweets, using food as a reward and pleasure) and food neophobia with nutritional status and food intake among teenagers.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study with 132 teenagers 15 to 19 y of age. Food behavior, anthropometrics, body composition, and lifestyle measurements were obtained and analyzed.ResultsCraving for sweets was associated with overweight, adiposity, meal skipping, physical inactivity, and intake of sweets (P < 0.05). Reward was linked to adiposity, physical inactivity, lack of interest in information about food, and intake of sweets (P < 0.05). Pleasure was associated with physical inactivity, lack of interest in information about food, and intake of sweets and soft drinks (P < 0.05). Teenage girls had a higher craving for sweets (22.88 ± 4.77) and higher pleasure scores (21.50 ± 3.82), body fat (25.33 ± 6.60), meal skipping (63.2%), and physical inactivity (64.7%) than their male counterparts (P < 0.05). There was no association among food neophobia, nutritional status, and food intake.ConclusionThe results of the present study indicated that, in contrast to food neophobia, taste-related factors can be associated with body fat and inadequate food choices in teenagers. However, this was a cross-sectional study and further cohort studies should be performed for in-depth investigation of a causal relationship between the findings of this research.Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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