Food selectivity and sociodemographic profile of children with autistic disorder from a social movement from Macaé City, Rio de Janeiro

• Autor(a) principal: Alves, Beatriz Graziele Thomaz
• Data de Publicação: 2024
• Outros Autores: Capelli, Jane de Carlos Santana, Monteiro, Luana Silva, Sperandio, Naiara, Oliveira, Cinara Costa de, Viviani, Ana Glaucia Guariento, Jevaux, Giullia Daflon, Paes, Carina de Aquino
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.sbu.unicamp.br/ojs/index.php/san/article/view/8673758
• topic: Nutrição da criança; Seletividade alimentar; Transtorno autístico; Transtorno do espectro autista; Nutrición infantil; Selectividad alimentaria; Trastorno autista; Trastorno del espectro autista; Child nutrition; Food fussiness; Austistic disorder; Autism spectrum disorder

Introduction: Food selectivity (FS) is characterized by food refusal, little appetite and disinterest in food, and is frequently observed in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Objective: Analyze the sociodemographic profile and FS of children with ASD enrolled in the social movement of Macaé, Rio de Janeiro. Methods: A cross-sectional, primary-based study was carried out between March and June 2020 with all (n=97) children (2 to 9 years 11 months and 29 days) with ASD and their respective mothers from a social movement in Macaé. A descriptive analysis of the variables was performed using absolute and relative frequency distributions and mean values, standard deviation [mean(±SD)] and amplitude. The chi-square statistical test was applied. Results: The study included 92 (95.0%) children with ASD, 81.5% male, 77.6% in the preschool phase, 48.1% brown and mean±SD age (years) 4.52±1.3 years for preschoolers and 7.68±0.6 years for schoolchildren. As for education, 83.6% of preschoolers and 52.0% of schoolchildren were illiterate. The average family income was between 1 and 2 minimum wages (52.2% for preschoolers and 56.0% for schoolchildren). 59.8% of children were detected with AS, a behavior more frequent in preschoolers (67.3%) than in schoolchildren (32.7%). Both groups had higher SA for cereals, legumes and meat, while preschoolers also had frequent SA for pasta (27.0%) and biscuits (27.0%). Discussion: FS in autistic children involves neurological, motor, behavioral, dietary aspects, among others; therefore, requiring multidisciplinary intervention, such as a psychologist, occupational therapist and nutritionist.