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Interprofessional group intervention for parents of children age 3 and younger with feeding difficulties: pilot
Carrie Owen1, Laura Ziebell, Chantal Lessard
1Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, 401 Smyth Rd, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L1, Canada. cowen@cheo.on.ca
Insights
An interprofessional parent group effectively reduced feeding difficulties in young children. Parents reported satisfaction and improved child feeding behaviors after the program.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Child Psychology
- Clinical Nutrition
Background:
- Feeding difficulties affect 25%-45% of typically developing children, potentially leading to failure to thrive.
- Timely intervention is crucial to prevent long-term impairments.
- Interprofessional approaches are recommended to reduce parental stress and improve food acceptance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of an interprofessionally led parent group program for treating pediatric feeding difficulties.
Main Methods:
- 30 children (mean age 26 months) and their families participated in a 4-session program with 1-month follow-up.
- Parents completed the Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale and Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) pre- and posttreatment.
Main Results:
- Significant reductions in the frequency of feeding difficulties and parental feeding problems were observed posttreatment.
- Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) showed a median of +2, indicating goal achievement.
- Parental feedback highlighted program satisfaction and a desire for more personalized support.
Conclusions:
- An interprofessional parent group, involving nutrition, occupational therapy, psychology, and speech-language pathology, shows preliminary effectiveness in treating young children's feeding difficulties.
Background:
Feeding difficulties are common with an estimated prevalence of 25%-45% in normally developing children. Clinicians and researchers emphasize the need for timely and effective treatment because a proportion of children develop failure to thrive with possible long-term impairments. Interprofessional assessment and treatment has emerged as an optimal approach to reduce parental anxiety and increase children's acceptance of a wider variety of foods.
Methods:
Participants, including 30 children (mean age of 26 ± 8.2 months) meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria and their families, attended a program consisting of 4 sessions, and a 1-month follow-up. Parents completed the Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale pre- and posttreatment and Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS).
Results:
Paired t tests indicate that the composite scores for frequency of feeding difficulties were on average significantly less posttreatment compared with pretreatment, and composite scores for frequency of parental problems with feeding were also significantly less posttreatment. These results were reflected in the composite scores for both feeding difficulties and parental problems with feeding on child- and parent-related items. The median for the GAS was +2 (range, -2 to +2). Written parental responses in the GAS reflected 2 major themes: satisfaction with the program and a desire for more individualized attention.
Conclusions:
These results offer preliminary evidence suggesting that an interprofessionally led parent group, with contributions from clinical nutrition, occupational therapy, psychology, and speech-language pathology professionals, is effective in treating young children with feeding difficulties.
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