Feeding difficulties in typical children, sociodemographic factors, and family perception.
Bruna Franciele Guimarães Trofino, Amélia Augusta de Lima Friche, Denise Brandão de Oliveira E Britto
PMID 40008781WHAT IT FOUND
Children aged 2 to 3 years, those born preterm, and those sensitive to noise, smell, or touch had significantly higher odds of feeding difficulties.
Screen use during meals was common but not linked to these difficulties. Parents often allowed screens despite believing them harmful, finding they helped children eat.
Key findings
01Children aged 4 to 5 years had significantly lower odds of abnormal feeding scores compared to those aged 2 to 3 years.
02Preterm birth and discomfort with noise, smell, or touch were associated with 3.4 and 3.7 times higher odds of feeding difficulties, respectively.
03Screen exposure during meals was not associated with feeding difficulties, despite 69% of children eating while watching screens.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relied on parent-reported questionnaires, making perceptions of difficulty subjective. The age distribution was uneven, with many more 4-5 year olds than 2-3 year olds, which may affect the generalizability of age-related findings. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality between risk factors and feeding difficulties.
Declared interests
The work was supported by CAPES and CNPq, Brazilian government funding agencies. No commercial conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of statistical association between screen use and feeding difficulty scores as evidence that screens are safe or beneficial for eating. The study found no link to the screening tool's score, but parents reported using screens to force intake, which may mask underlying self-regulation issues not captured by the EBAI.