Dificuldades alimentares entre pré-escolares e fatores associados

• Autor(a) principal: Siqueira, Bruna Nabuco Freire
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFS
• Texto Completo: http://ri.ufs.br/jspui/handle/riufs/9124
• topic: Comportamentos alimentares; Comportamento alimentar infantil; Dificuldade alimentar; Pré-escolares; Child eating behavior; Preschool child; Feeding difficulties; CIENCIAS DA SAUDE::NUTRICAO

Introduction: Feeding difficulty is a commonly behavior present in preschoolers and an important cause of intake monotony. It is a set of behaviors related to food refusal. More serious cases may persist beyond the pre-school age and may result in damage of child growth and health. Objective: To investigate the feeding difficulty among preschoolers and the associated factors. Methods: Cross-sectional observational study carried out with parents and children aged 4 to 6 enrolled in private and philanthropic pre-schools of Aracaju, Sergipe. Feeding difficulty was assessed through a specific question ("Does your child have difficulty eating certain types of food?") and food refusal aspects through the Food Avoidance sub scales of Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ): Food Fussiness, Satiety Responsiveness, Slowness in Eating, and Emotional Undereating. A semi-structured questionnaire containing data on sociodemographic conditions, birth conditions, food history and aspects related to child feeding behavior was applied. The evaluation of parental feeding practices was done through questions of the 5 sub-scales of the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire. The children nutritional status was evaluated by the BMI index for age. Logistic and linear regression models were used to evaluate the factors associated with feeding difficulty and aspects of food refusal. Results: A total of 730 preschoolers, 50.3% female and mean age 62.3 (SD = 8.1) months were evaluated. The prevalence of feeding difficulty was 34.1%. Children with eating difficulties presented aversion to most of the food / food groups evaluated, lower BMI for age, parents with a history of feeding difficulty, higher frequency of repeated exposure to new foods, use of food rewards by parents, children’s control about the food and less guidance relation on healthy habits. Regarding the evaluation of the aspects of infant food refusal, there were significant positive associations with higher parental pressure to eat, and negative with nutritional status. The greater control of the feeding by the child presented a relation with the Food Fussiness, Satiety Responsiveness and Emotional Undereating. While breastfeeding had a protective effect for Satiety Responsiveness and Emotional Undereating, a higher level of maternal schooling was a risk factor. Factors such as the use of food rewards and parental antecedents of feeding difficulties were also associated with aspects of food refusal. Conclusion: Feeding difficulty is a frequent behavior among preschool children evaluated, with food refusal aspects especially associated with parental feeding practices and nutritional status. In this way, the promotion of a structured family environment with less coercive parental practices can be a useful strategy for prevention and control of these behaviors in childhood.