Exploring Food Rejection Dispositions as Potential Risk Factors for Undernutrition in Hospitalized Children Aged 2 to 8 (MEDIALIME)

November 26, 2025 updated by: Hospices Civils de Lyon

MEasuring and Overcoming Nutritional DIfficulties in Hospitalized Children

Undernutrition affects over 30% of hospitalized children in France, with 10% severely malnourished yet only half of the cases are diagnosed. Undernutrition deteriorates children's health during hospital stays, weakening immunity and hindering recovery. Children suffering from acute malnutrition can stay in the hospital 45% longer than non-malnourished patients.

One of the primary causes of malnutrition is the reduction in children's food intake. Several researchers have emphasized that the young age of patients is associated with reduced food intake. For example, data on 923 children aged 1 day to 16 years indicates that patients under 8 years old are at a higher risk of undernutrition than older children.

The MEDIC project aims to investigate if increased food rejection dispositions contribute to reduced food intake in hospitalized children. Food rejections are typically observed between 2 and 8 years. Some children are more challenging and eat only a few different foods, while others try everything. Around the age of 2, children become more selective about the foods they consume. This is largely due to two common dispositions in young children: food neophobia and food pickiness. Food neophobia is defined as the reluctance to eat or even try foods that appear new, whereas food pickiness is defined as the rejection of a substantial number of familiar foods, including foods previously tasted. Both pickiness and neophobia have been associated with a significant reduction in food consumption (especially of vegetables), a decrease in food variety, and less enjoyment derived from food. A study showed that children aged 2 to 5 were twice as likely to be underweight if they were picky eaters.

Studies have shown that the socioeconomic status has a significant impact on food rejection in children. For instance, longitudinal studies reveal a higher proportion of picky eaters in low-income families. Parental education was also found to be inversely associated with children's food rejection levels.

The MEDIC project seeks to assess health inequalities by studying the impact of food rejection dispositions on the nutritional status of children in pediatric services. A qualitative study supports the notion that food rejection is heightened during the hospitalization: half of the parents of hospitalized children interviewed reported that foods accepted outside the hospital were rejected in the ward. Parents indicated that their child's food preferences were more limited, and they only alternated between a few foods after entering the hospital. According to the majority of interviewed nurses, children refuse any food other than that provided by parents.

The research hypotheses of the MEDIC project focus on understanding the moderating effects of food rejection dispositions and socioeconomic backgrounds on children's food intake during hospitalization. Two hypotheses are formulated: (H1) the pre-hospitalization food rejection levels predict the amount of food consumed during the hospital stay, and (H2) children from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to refuse food during their hospital stay than those from more advantaged backgrounds. To test these hypotheses, parents of children aged 2 to 8 will complete questionnaires on food rejection dispositions upon admission, and food consumption (in grams and calories) will be assessed through weighing and photographs of meal trays taken 48 hours (± 24 hours) post-admission. The project aims to shed light on the complexities of childhood malnutrition, addressing social inequalities and contributing valuable insights for interventions and public health policy.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

102

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • France
    • Bron
      • Bron, Bron, France, 69677
        • Hôpital Femme Mère Enfant de Lyon

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Study population will include patients between 2 and 8 years admitted to hospitalization for at least 48 hours in a children hospital located in Lyon-France.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • child aged between 2 and 8 years (2 years ≤ age ≤ 8 years)
  • child admitted to hospitalization for a minimum duration of 48 hours

Exclusion Criteria:

  • regularly hospitalized children who come for routine check-ups, thus having repeated exposures to hospital meals
  • children with pathologies or treatments causing a significant reduction in their food consumption (perioperative fasting, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, etc.)
  • children with brain injuries, post-traumatic disorders, sensory deficits, digestive pathologies, severe organ failures (respiratory, cardiac, hepatic, renal)
  • children admitted to intensive care units

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Grams of hospital meals consumed by the patients at lunch
Time Frame: Day 2
To assess the impact of the intensity of food refusal on children's food intake, the investigators will examine the regression coefficient between food refusal scores, measured by the questionnaire completed by one of the patient's parents, and food intake in grams during the lunch 48 hours (± 24 hours) post-admission..
Day 2
Calories of hospital meals consumed by the patients at lunch, 48 hours after their admission to the hospital.
Time Frame: Day 2
To assess the impact of the intensity of food refusal on children's food intake, the investigators will examine the regression coefficient between food refusal scores, measured by the questionnaire completed by one of the patient's parents, and food intake in calories during the lunch 48 hours (± 24 hours) post-admission.
Day 2

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Hospices Civils de Lyon

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

July 10, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 29, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

September 29, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 11, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 18, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

March 26, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

December 4, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 26, 2025

Last Verified

November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 69HCL23_1180

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Undernutrition

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Croatia

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe