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Screening for feeding disorders. Creating critical values using the behavioural pediatrics feeding assessment scale
Terence M Dovey1, Caroline Jordan, Victoria K Aldridge
1Loughborough University Centre for Research into Eating Disorders (LUCRED), School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Brockington Building, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK. t.m.dovey@lboro.ac.uk
Appetite
|June 8, 2013
Summary
The Behavioural Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale (BPFAS) can now screen for feeding disorders with high accuracy. A new cut-off score effectively distinguishes between children with and without feeding issues.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric feeding disorders
- Clinical assessment tools
- Child psychology
Background:
- Feeding disorders affect a significant number of children.
- Accurate screening tools are essential for timely intervention.
- The Behavioural Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale (BPFAS) is a widely used measure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a statistically derived cut-off score for the BPFAS.
- To discriminate between clinical and non-clinical pediatric feeding samples.
- To validate the BPFAS as a screening tool for feeding disorders.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 573 families with children aged 20-85 months participated.
- The study included 64 children with diagnosed feeding disorders.
- Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the cut-off value.
Main Results:
- A BPFAS Child Frequency score of 61 and a Child Problem score of 6 were identified as the optimal cut-off.
- This cut-off achieved an 87% accuracy rate in discriminating between clinical and non-clinical samples.
- The BPFAS demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity.
Conclusions:
- The BPFAS is an accurate and reliable tool for screening pediatric feeding disorders.
- The identified cut-off values provide a practical method for clinical and research settings.
- Adoption of the BPFAS is recommended for future studies on feeding disorders.
