AI-Based Facial Emotion Analysis in Infants During Complimentary Feeding: A Descriptive Study of Maternal and Infant Influences

TL;DR

This study uses AI to analyze infants' facial emotions during feeding, finding that maternal and infant traits influence emotional responses more than food type.

Contribution

The novel use of AI-based facial emotion analysis reveals psychosocial influences on infant feeding emotions.

Findings

Infants of mothers with BMI > 30 showed greater surprise during feeding.

Well-educated, non-working mothers had infants displaying more happiness.

Older infants and those introduced to solids before six months showed more anger.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Infant emotional responses during complementary feeding offer key insights into early developmental processes and feeding behaviors. AI-driven facial emotion analysis presents a novel, objective method to quantify these subtle expressions, potentially informing interventions in early childhood nutrition. We aimed to investigate how maternal and infant traits influence infants’ emotional responses during complementary feeding using an automated facial analysis tool. Methods: This multi-center study involved 117 typically developing infants (6–11 months) and their mothers. Standardized feeding sessions were recorded, and OpenFace software quantified six emotions (surprise, sadness, fear, happiness, anger, disgust). Data were normalized and analyzed via Generalized Estimating Equations to identify associations with maternal BMI, education, work status, and infant age, sex, and complementary feeding initiation. Results: Emotional responses did not differ significantly across five food groups. Infants of mothers with BMI > 30 kg/m2 showed greater surprise, while those whose mothers were well-educated and not working displayed more happiness. Older infants and those introduced to complementary feeding before six months exhibited higher levels of anger. Parental or infant food selectivity did not significantly affect responses. Conclusions: The findings indicate that maternal and infant demographic factors exert a more pronounced influence on infant emotional responses during complementary feeding than the type of food provided. These results highlight the importance of integrating broader psychosocial variables into early feeding practices and underscore the potential utility of AI-driven facial emotion analysis in advancing research on infant development.

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