Eating Behaviors in Early Childhood (1-5 Years) and Their Association With Sociodemographic Characteristics in Turkey.

Cengiz Gökalp,Oya Halıcıoğlu Baltalı,Süleyman Yıldız

doi:10.7759/cureus.16876

Abstract

Eating problems are common in childhood and being seen in 25%-45% of healthy children. The period following the first year of life up to five years is when eating problems are most frequently reported and also when the child acquires eating habits. Several studies have shown that eating behavior is affected by the family environment, and by parental eating habits and modes of feeding their children.The purpose of this study was to investigate the eating behavior characteristics of children in early childhood, to determine the frequency of problematic eating behaviors, and to compare these with the family’s sociodemographic characteristics.The study consisted of 255 children aged 1-5 years, with no chronic disease, presenting to İzmir Tepecik Education and Research Hospital Child Health and Diseases Department general pediatric clinics between February and April, 2017, together with their parents. In the study, 39 questions were asked to parents related to children’s demographic characteristics and eating behaviour.Problematic eating behavior was present in 43.9% of the study group. Analysis identified feeding bottle use, feeding with the use of an assistant object, eating lasting longer than half an hour, and the child not feeding itself as the most frequent eating problems. Malnutrition was present in 104 (65.8%) of the children with problematic eating behavior. Examination of unhealthy eating behavior in the light of the study findings showed no significant association between eating behaviors and variables such as type and time of delivery, maternal education level, maternal employment status, maternal age, or the number of children in the family.In terms of nutrition status, Turkey appears to exhibit problems associated with both developed and developing countries. Public nutrition in Turkey fluctuates significantly depending on the region, the season, socioeconomic levels, and differences between urban and rural settlements. Early-onset of eating-related problems can have a negative effect on children’s subsequent physical, emotional, and social development.Determination in the early period of eating problems seen in children and investigation of the causes thereof is important in terms of identifying a potential solution. It is important to work with the family to that end, and for children to be followed-up by pediatricians at regular intervals.

Highlights

Eating is a complex behavior associated with both biological and social factors [1]
The present findings show there isn’t a significant association between eating behavior scores and such variables as type and time of delivery, maternal level of education, maternal employment status, maternal age, or the number of children in the family
Analysis of frequently observed negative eating behaviors showed that the bottle feeding rate was 80.4%, 38.8% of the children did not feed themselves, eating lasted >30 min in 50.2% of the children, and that children were encouraged to eat via compulsion or intimidation in 22.4% of the children

Summary

Introduction

Eating is a complex behavior associated with both biological and social factors [1]. Eating problems are common in children and occur in 25%-45% of healthy children, and in ≥80% of children with developmental delay [2]. Studies on healthy children show that 20%-60% of parents think their children do not eat sufficiently [3,4]. Severe eating disorders requiring intensive behavioral therapy occur in 3%-10% of all children [4,5]. The family environment is where children have their first experiences with eating and the introduction of foods. Several studies have shown that eating behavior is affected by the family environment, and by parental eating habits and modes of feeding their children [1,2]

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Conclusion