Children with persistent feeding difficulties: An observational analysis of the feeding interactions of problem and non-problem eaters.

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between parent's feeding practices and the feeding behavior of toddlers and preschool-age children with (n = 19) or without (n = 26) persistent feeding difficulties. Specifically, patterns of parent-child interaction were assessed during standardized family mealtime observations in the clinic. Parents also kept observational records of their children's mealtime behavior at home and rated the degree of difficulty they experienced in feeding their child during each meal on a daily basis. Observational results showed that feedingdisordered children engaged in higher levels of disruptive mealtime behavior (food refusal, noncompliance, complaining, oppositional behavior, and playing with food) and lower levels of chewing during mealtime. There were several significant age effects, with younger children (under age 3) engaging in more vomiting and less aversive demanding and verbalizations. Parents of feeding-disordered children were more negative and coercive in their feeding practices and engaged in higher levels of aversive instruction giving, aversive prompting, and negative eating-related comments. There were several significant associations between coercive parental behaviors and children's food refusal and noncompliance in the sample as a whole. Measures of children's disruptiveness at mealtimes in the clinic were significantly correlated with measures of mealtime behavior in the home.

Finishing the family meal. The interactional organisation of satiety

“…The emphasis in this literature at times appears to be on problematic issues around children's feeding, whether this be neophobia or food aversions (Cashdan, 1998;Koivisto & Sjoden, 1996;Loewen & Pliner, 2000) or more persistent, individual feeding 'problems' (Blissett & Harris, 2002;Sanders, Patel, LeGrice, & Shepherd, 1993). In accordance with the literature on parental styles, there is also a concern about who has control over (or perceived control over) children's food (Robinson, 2000;Ross, 1995).…”

Feeding and eating disorders in childhood

“…Different studies have suggested that 16-30% of cases of feeding problems are ''organic,'' 13,14 and that up to 80% of cases of feeding disorder referred to specialist pediatric services have a significant behavioral component. 15 A study of 700 children under the age of 10 who had feeding disorders diagnosed found that medical disorder and behavioral problems related to feeding occurred both alone and in combination: 86% had an underlying medical disorder, 61% had some oropharyngeal dysfunction, and 18% had a behavioral problem.…”

Screening Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) in children: Outcomes from utilitarian versus specialist psychometrics

“…The second interpretation could be that the measured frequency of problematic behaviour within the BPFAS does not capture the magnitude of the observable behaviours. Perhaps the difference between groups is that the high scorers in the clinical sample resist mealtimes with more veracity than high scorers in the non-clinical sample (Sanders et al, 1993).…”