Eater profile and associated factors in pediatric patients of the PEDIANUT cohort

Abstract

Appetite traits have multifactorial origins. In association with environmental and genetic factors, they could become problematic and lead to Feeding or Eating Disorders (FED). As the DSM-5 classification is not suitable for pediatric FED, another way to describe eating behavior is to distinguish the clinical profiles of "small eater" and "big eater". The aim of this study was to identify socio-demographic and medical factors associated with these profiles, and to compare problematic and non-problematic profiles. From the Pedianut study, we analyzed socio-demographic, medical and family history data among 401 children according to 4 age groups (<1 year n = 101, 1–6 years n = 99, 6–12 years n = 100, 12–18 years n = 101). The information collected on eating behavior made it possible to define small eater profile (SEP) and big eater profile (BEP) using predefined grids. BEP was more frequent in adolescents (35.6%), and SEP was more frequent in children aged 1–6 years (34.3%). BEP was associated with having separated parents, being male and the oldest sibling (p < 0.05). Problematic BEP was associated with eating while watching television, being a girl, and having sensory disorders (p < 0.05). SEP was associated, whatever age, with non-breastfeeding, chronic illness, psychological history, sensory disorders, language delays (in the 1–6 year age group), and family history of FED (in the adolescent group) (p < 0.05). This analysis of factors associated with eater profile opens new perspectives for research on risk factors associated with eating traits, which warrants further study in larger populations to delineate transition from healthy to problematic eating.