Supervisors info:
Ελένη Ευαγγέλου, Καθηγήτρια, Νοσηλευτική, Πανεπιστήμιο Δυτικής Αττικής
Κουτελέκος Ιωάννης, Καθηγητής Εφαρμογών, Νοσηλευτική, Πανεπιστήμιο Δυτικής Αττικής
Τζουμάκα-Μπακούλα Χρυσάνθη, Ομότιμη Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
Introduction:Parents of children in the autism spectrum often report problems referring to their children’s diet.
Aim of study:The aim of the current survey is the research on the dietary habits of children with developmental disorders. More specifically, the eating habits of children with autism spectrum and their behavior during family meals are studied.
Method: The research population was the parents of children in the autism spectrum which are taken care by autism care centers located in Athens.
For the collection of the data, a questionnaire was used which consisted of three separate sections and was completed by the parents of children: The first section included questions concerning children's history, demographic and somatometric characteristics of both children and parents. The second part of questionnaire, consisted of the translated children's eating behavior inventory (CEBI), translated into Greek, developed by Archer et al. (1991) and has a confidence index equal to 0.87. The third and final part of the questionnaire, consisted of the Food Preference Inventory (FPI). This is a checklist of children's preferences for specific foods.For the statistical analysis of the sample and the extraction of results the SPSS statistical package was used. The result tables were entered into word sheets.
Results: A remarkable percentage of children in the autism spectrum show problematic behaviors during meals. Although most parents have reported that their child feels himself as he should be based on his age, joking during meals, while feeling satisfied with the amount of food their child consumes. A significant percentage of them consider meals an anxious process, feel upset when they think of their child meals and their child's behavior during meals makes their partner to feel upset. The majority of children need more than half an hour to eat with them because of a specific routine they follow and how relatives complain about how the child is eating, which poses questions about the social behavior of children. Regarding children's preferences for food groups, most of them like meat and chicken, bread, salty snacks and cheese. Still, most children like vegetables, fruit, butter, sweets and carbohydrates such as macaroni, rice, etc. Also, statistical analysis has found correlations between age, parental body mass index, child body mass index , the child's age, and children's preferences for specific types of food. However, the children's preference for certain types of food has not been statistically proven.
Conclusions: The study found evidence, showing the concern of parents of children in the autism spectrum, of their behavior during meals and the lack of any particular preference for the types of foods consumed by them.
Keywords:
Child, Autism, Parents, Dietary habits, Food selectivity
