Abstract
BackgroundFood dislikes in children may result in avoiding particular food/s with major sources of essential nutrients leading to increased risk of impaired growth or cognitive development and compromised immune function. It is necessary to identify conditions contributing to feeding difficulty and associated complications. An instrument was designed to assist diagnosis and management of children with feeding difficulties. The study was conducted to test utility of the “Identification and Management of Feeding Difficulties (IMFeD)” tool in Indian children.MethodsA prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in Indian children between 2 and 10 years identified to have picky eating behaviour. After completion of both pro forma sections (parent and physician) of the IMFeD tool, the child’s specific feeding difficulty was diagnosed and appropriate nutritional and/or behavioural counselling was provided. The subjects were followed at 30 and 60 days post-intervention.ResultsAccording to 66% of paediatricians the IMFeD tool was very easy to use. Approximately 85% of paediatricians required ≤20 min to administer the tool, diagnose the feeding difficulty(ies) and provide specific counselling or behavioural management. More than 70% of parents were satisfied and willing to accept the use of the IMFeD tool. After 60 days, 65% of the parents were either less worried or not worried at all about the feeding behaviour of the child using recommendations made on the basis of the IMFeD tool. The toolkit helped parents to know what to do if their child had a feeding problem. A total of 90% of the parents expressed that the tool is useful for assessing feeding difficulties in children.ConclusionThe IMFeD tool can be effectively used to identify feeding difficulties in Indian children. This toolkit also helps to offer nutritional and behavioural guidance as a part of the management.
Highlights
Food dislikes in children may result in avoiding particular food/s with major sources of essential nutrients leading to increased risk of impaired growth or cognitive development and compromised immune function
The results showed that the “Identification and Management of Feeding Difficulties (IMFeD)” tool helped paediatricians identify the “type of feeding difficulty” among those children considered to be picky eaters
More than 70% of parents were satisfied and willing to accept the use of the IMFeD tool to manage their child’s feeding issues (Fig. 7)
Summary
Food dislikes in children may result in avoiding particular food/s with major sources of essential nutrients leading to increased risk of impaired growth or cognitive development and compromised immune function. An instrument was designed to assist diagnosis and management of children with feeding difficulties. Children with feeding difficulties are less likely to consume a nutritious diet than non-picky eaters [6, 9] and they are at risk for impaired growth [9, 10] or cognitive development [11] along with compromised immune function [12]. The possible negative consequences that may result from attempts to change feeding behaviours, especially coercion, can compromise parent–child interactions [6, 7]. Childhood feeding conflicts and struggles with food have been highlighted as risk factors for the later development of eating disorders such as bulimia or anorexia nervosa [13, 14]
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