Tipik Gelişen ve Otizm Spektrum Bozukluğu Olan Çocukların Ebeveynlerinin Yemek Zamanı Davranışları ile Aile İçi Yeme Alışkanlıklarının İncelenmesi

Abstract

Objective: Eating behaviors of children can be affected by parental eating behaviors as well as they may influence parental eating behaviors. In this mutual interaction, parental attitudes towards eating can also shape eating habits at home. In the study, it was aimed to examine the differences between parental mealtime actions and the family eating routines. Material and Methods: The parents of 180 children (90 with typical development-TD and 90 with autism spectrum disorder-ASD) aged 3-5 participated. The Parent Mealtime Action Scale was used to determine parents' eating behaviors and attitudes towards their children, and a personal information was used to determine family routines. Results: Considering the results obtained, limiting the number of snacks consumed daily by the parents of children with typically developing is more frequent in the group where the whole family eats at a specific time. In the parents of children with ASD, those who eat separately from the child consume less vegetable-fruit daily than those who eat together. In addition, the parents of children with ASD in the group where the whole family eats together, whether or not for a specific time, show more snacking models than those in the group where children eat separately. The parents of children with ASD whose foods are processed exhibit more positive persuasion. Conclusion: Family eating habits can be shaped in parallel with parental attitudes and behaviors. Therefore, fostering parental behaviors towards proper and healthy nutrition is thought to affect the eating behaviors of family members. It is considered that future studies should investigate the eating behaviors of children and parents through observing the natural environment of children.