<![CDATA[Picky eating is common amongst pre-school children. This behaviour results in children consuming a limited variety of foods. Preliminary data from a study of 10 pre-school children at the Nurul Amien Early Childhood Education Centre (PAUD) indicated that 60 per cent of the children were picky eaters. The aim of this study was to determine the significance of the relationship between parenting styles and picky eating behaviour amongst pre-school children at the Nurul Amien Early Childhood Education Centre (PAUD) in Jember. The method employed an observational correlational analysis using a cross-sectional approach. The study population comprised 52 children aged 3–5 years at the Nurul Amien Early Childhood Education Centre in Jember. Sampling was conducted using simple random sampling, yielding a sample size of 46 respondents. The instruments used were a parental parenting style questionnaire and a picky eating behaviour questionnaire. Univariate data analysis utilised frequency distributions, whilst bivariate analysis employed the chi-square test and the contingency coefficient. The results indicated that the majority (54.3%) of parents practised a democratic parenting style and the majority (54.3%) of children did not exhibit picky eating behaviour. From the chi-square analysis, a p-value of 0.000 was obtained, which is less than α (0.05); therefore, H₀ was rejected. The contingency coefficient was 0.595, indicating a moderate association. In conclusion, there is a moderate association between parenting styles and picky eating behaviour in pre-school children.]]>
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