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Risk factors for failure to thrive: a population-based survey
Insights
Failure to thrive children exhibit more feeding issues and undemanding behaviors than controls. These factors, not deprivation, may cause failure to thrive (FTT).
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Failure to thrive (FTT) is a complex condition affecting child development.
- Previous research often linked FTT to socioeconomic deprivation and neglect.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in demographic characteristics and parental-reported behaviors between children with FTT and controls.
- To explore the role of eating behaviors and parental perceptions in FTT.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 97 children identified with FTT and 28 normally growing controls.
- Standardized health visitor assessments included parental questionnaires on feeding history and child behavior.
- Data were collected from children aged 15.1 months (FTT group) and 16-18 months (control group).
Main Results:
- Children with FTT had significantly more infancy feeding problems and later introduction to solids/finger foods.
- FTT children were more often described as variable eaters, undemanding, and shy, and less often as hungry.
- Despite similar deprivation levels, FTT children showed significantly less enjoyment of food compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Parental neglect and deprivation may be overstated as primary causes of FTT.
- Undemanding behavior, low appetite, and poor feeding skills are likely contributors to the onset and persistence of FTT.
Aim:
To identify whether differences exist between failure to thrive children and controls in either demographic characteristics or parental rating of their eating and other behaviour.
Methods:
As part of an intervention study, 97 children with failure to thrive were identified by population screening and received a standardized assessment by their health visitor at a median age of 15.1 months. This included standard questions to parents concerning their perception of their child's feeding history and behaviour. Their responses were compared with the parents of 28 normally growing children aged 16-18 months, systematically sampled from the same district.
Results:
Cases had fallen through a mean of 1.69 weight standard deviation score and were markedly underweight for height. The case families had similar levels of deprivation, both to controls and city norms, and only four showed evidence of major neglect. Failure to thrive children had significantly more infancy feeding problems and were introduced to solids and finger foods later than controls; they were significantly more often described as variable eaters, undemanding and shy and less often as hungry. Cases liked most foods, but significantly less so than controls.
Conclusions:
This suggests that the role of deprivation and neglect has been overstated and that undemanding behaviour, low appetite and poor feeding skills may contribute to the onset and persistence of failure to thrive.