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Parental questionnaire may aid early detection of pediatric feeding problems
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Portions of a questionnaire developed to assist in detecting early feeding and swallowing problems have demonstrated usefulness in identifying potential concerns in a pilot study, according to an article published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition.
“Screening tools have increasingly been used to maximize physician efficiency and diagnostic accuracy during well-child visits for a variety of developmental and behavioral problems,” Julie M. Barkmeier-Kraemer, PhD, from the department of surgery and the department of communication sciences and disorders at the University of Utah, and colleagues wrote. “Although these measures may be helpful to clinicians, they are not readily available to families, thereby limiting their usefulness.”
One way in which their usefulness may be increased, according to the researchers, is through “self-screening technology available online, linked with pediatric well-child visits and offering individualized feedback for caregivers and primary care practitioners.”
To explore whether the Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire (ICFQ) would differentiate between children and infants with known feeding problems and those without known feeding problems, the researchers conducted a pilot study in which the caregivers of children 36 months or younger completed the ICFQ. Demographic attributes were compared using t tests, and responses were examined using receiver operating characteristic analysis.
Four questions from the ICFQ could make a distinction between the groups (receiver operating characteristic = 0.974), which included 64 caregivers of children with feeding problems and 57 caregivers whose children did not have known feeding problems. Three children in the group without feeding problems were not included in the analysis because they did not meet inclusion criteria.
Nine specific feeding behaviors, including coughing, falling asleep before the end of eating and choking, demonstrated significant odds ratios, which helped compare the two groups further.
“Feeding disorders are not only disruptive to the affected children and their caregivers, but also to the providers who are asked to manage these difficulties,” Barkmeier-Kraemer and colleagues wrote. “Fortunately, malnutrition and other associated medical concerns are preventable with early detection and intervention. Early detection and treatment of feeding problems may also reduce caregiver-related stress and health care utilization costs.” — by Katherine Bortz
Disclosure: Please see the study for a full list of relevant disclosures.
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