Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Healthy, Full-Term Infants Under 7 Months of Age

Abstract

PurposeTo describe symptoms of gastrointestinal distress experienced by healthy, full-term infants in the first 7 months of life and test the psychometric properties of the Infant Gastrointestinal Symptoms Questionnaire (IGSQ). Design and methodsParents of infants <7 months (n = 320) completed the IGSQ, the Infant Gastroesophageal Reflux Questionnaire – Revised (I-GERQ-R), and the Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool (NeoEAT) – Breastfeeding and/or Bottle-feeding. Median and percentile scores were calculated for the IGSQ scores for each age group: 0–2, 2–4, 4–6, and 6–7 months. Change in IGSQ scores with age were evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test with Mann-Whitney U tests for post-hoc comparisons. Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Concurrent validity was tested using Spearman's rho between the IGSQ and the I-GERQ-R and NeoEAT. ResultsIGSQ scores decreased significantly with increased infant age, from a median of 28 at 0–2 months to 23 at 6–7 months old. The IGSQ had acceptable internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.74). IGSQ total score was significantly correlated with I-GERQ-R total score (Spearman's rho (rs) = 0.69, p < .001), NeoEAT – Breastfeeding: Gastrointestinal Function subscale score (rs = 0.46, p < .001), and NeoEAT – Bottle-feeding: Gastrointestinal Tract Function subscale score (rs = 0.47, p < .001). ConclusionsGastrointestinal symptoms decrease with increasing age in the first 7 months of life. The IGSQ has evidence of acceptable internal consistency reliability and concurrent validity. Practice implicationsThese data can be used to guide IGSQ score interpretation.