Abstract 7: Outcomes of a day feeding program in children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

Objective: To examine the effectiveness of a pediatric feeding program for children with cerebral palsy (CP) and dysphasia. Design: Case series. Setting: Pediatric specialty hospital. Participants: 26 children admitted to a feeding program between 1999 and 2001. All participants were consuming inadequate diets and had failed traditional outpatient therapies. Interventions: The feeding program consisted of a day treatment program during which participants received 4 therapeutic meals. Attendance was 5 days a week for 4 to 6 weeks. Therapeutic interventions included the use of oral motor facilities techniques simultaneously with behavioral strategies. Main Outcome Measures: Anthropometric (weight, height, ideal body weight) data was collected on admission, discharge, and at 1, 4, 7 and 12 months posttreatment. Percentage of bites accepted was measured at time of admission and discharge from the program. Results: Participants showed improvements in both weight (mean, .767±.675; P≤.001) and height (mean, 1.028±0.675; P≤.001) from admission to discharge. Weight z scores also increased (mean, .446±.505; P≤.001) during this period. Percentage of bites accepted at discharge was significantly greater than the percentage accepted at admission (mean, 31.65±24.12; P≤.001). Improvements were maintained after discharge from the program. Although the weight gain between discharge and 1 month follow-up and between 1 and 4 months follow-up were not statistically significant, there were significant increases in height during these periods (mean, 1.378±1.237, P≤.001; mean, 1.954±1.696, P≤.001). Statistically significant weight and height gains were seen between 4 and 7 months and between 7 months and 1 year postdischarge. Conclusions: Poor nutrition in children with CP has been associated with increased health care costs, decreased functioning, and poorer social interaction. This study provides evidence of the effectiveness of a pediatric feeding program for this population.