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Descriptive analyses of pediatric food refusal: the structure of parental attention

Julia N Woods1, John C Borrero, Rinita B Laud

  • 1University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA.

Behavior Modification
|January 7, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Parental attention during mealtimes can improve children's eating behaviors. This study found that parental attention, including coaxing and reprimands, often led to fewer disruptive behaviors and more food acceptance in children in a feeding program.

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Pediatric Feeding Disorders
  • Parent-Child Interaction

Background:

  • Mealtimes can be challenging for children in intensive feeding programs.
  • Parental attention is a common strategy used to manage child mealtime behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of various forms of parental attention on child mealtime behavior.
  • To determine if parental attention influences appropriate and inappropriate mealtime behaviors, including bite acceptance.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted direct mealtime observations for 25 children and their parents in a feeding program.
  • Utilized lag sequential analyses to examine the probability of behavior changes following parental attention.
  • Employed ANOVAs to statistically corroborate findings from observational data.

Main Results:

  • Parental attention frequently preceded temporary reductions in inappropriate mealtime behavior.
  • Parental attention was associated with increased bite acceptance.
  • Specific forms of parental attention demonstrated statistically significant effects on child behavior.

Conclusions:

  • Parental attention strategies can effectively modify child mealtime behavior.
  • The findings support the clinical application of analyzing parent-child interactions in feeding programs.
  • Understanding these dynamics is crucial for improving therapeutic interventions for pediatric feeding issues.

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