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Coexistence of sleep and feeding disturbances in young children

Riva Tauman1, Arie Levine, Hadas Avni

  • 1Pediatric Sleep Center, Dana Children's Hospital, Tel Aviv Souraski Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Pediatrics
|March 2, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Behavioral insomnia and feeding difficulties are common in young children and often coexist. Early clinical awareness of this association can lead to better interventions and improved outcomes for affected children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Child Psychology
  • Sleep Medicine

Background:

  • Behavioral insomnia and feeding difficulties are prevalent in young children.
  • These conditions share similarities in nature, etiology, prevalence, and age distribution.
  • The association between these two disorders in early childhood has not been previously examined.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between behavioral insomnia and feeding disorders in children aged 6 to 36 months.
  • To determine if these common childhood issues tend to occur together.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 681 children aged 6 to 36 months.
  • Participants included children with behavioral insomnia, feeding disorders, and healthy controls.
  • Sleep and feeding behaviors were assessed using parental questionnaires.

Main Results:

  • Children with feeding disorders were significantly more likely to have problematic sleep (37% vs. 16%) with shorter nocturnal sleep duration.
  • Children with behavioral insomnia were more likely to have feeding problems (26% vs. 9%) and concerns about growth.
  • Both conditions showed statistically significant associations with their counterparts.

Conclusions:

  • Problematic sleep and feeding behaviors frequently coexist in early childhood.
  • Clinicians should be aware of this comorbidity for timely intervention.
  • Recognizing the coexistence can improve treatment outcomes for children with these issues.
Abstract

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