Exploring Eating Challenges and Food Selectivity for Latinx Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Qualitative Visual Methodology: Implications for Oral Health.

Lucía I Floríndez,Daniella C Floríndez,Dominique H Como,Jose C Polido,Sharon A Cermak,Francesca M Floríndez,Mia E Price,Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati,Elizabeth Pyatak

doi:10.3390/ijerph18073751

Abstract

Diet and food choices significantly impact teeth, including enamel quality and development of dental caries. However, studies focusing on diet and its relation to oral care in Latinx children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have been minimally addressed in research. This qualitative study used an inclusive visual methodology to explore what Latinx caregivers learned about their child’s diet preferences and food routines in relation to their oral health. As a secondary aim, the study sought to explore whether notable differences in diet emerged between Latinx children with and without ASD. Participants were 32 Latinx caregivers from 18 families with children with and without Autism (n = 8 with a typically developing child and n = 10 with a child with ASD) who completed a food journal activity and photo elicitation interview. Interviews were thematically coded for themes pertaining to parents’ perceptions of their child’s diet and oral health. Findings of this study indicate that the process of taking photos helped Latinx caregivers to better situate the barriers and behaviors influencing everyday food routines in their children within the context of relating to their overall oral health. Via their active participation in the research process, parents were empowered to note strategies they could employ that would directly impact their child’s oral health outcomes, such as reducing juice intake and monitoring sugar consumption. Therefore, visual research methodologies are an important strategy for researchers to consider in order to empower participants to be part of the research process and part of the outcomes, and to offer better understanding of the lived experience of populations underrepresented in the literature, such as Latinx children with and without ASD and their families.

Highlights

Studies focusing on diet and its relation to oral care in Latinx (Throughout this article, we use Latinx, a gender neutral term to indicate someone of Latino/a ethnicity) children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have been minimally addressed in research
The purpose of this study was to explore how the process of visual food journaling provided an opportunity for Latinx families who had children with and without ASD in Los Angeles, California to better understand their diet and food choices in relation to their oral health
typically developing (TD)), cookies n = 5; n = 5 ASD and n = 0 TD), and milk (n = 4; n = 4 ASD and n = 0 TD). This qualitative visual methodology study examining diet and nutrition practices in Latinx families provides further details about food choices, food selectivity, and sugar consumption in an understudied group of children, and creates a rich picture of factors contributing to oral health status among Latinx children with and without ASD

Summary

Introduction

Studies focusing on diet and its relation to oral care in Latinx (Throughout this article, we use Latinx, a gender neutral term to indicate someone of Latino/a ethnicity) children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have been minimally addressed in research. This is a key area to focus investigations, as Latinxs [1,2,3] and children with. ASD [4,5] disproportionately experience oral health problems when compared to the general population, and there are strong ties between diet and dental health [6].

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Discussion

Conclusion