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Adaptation and validation of Arabic version of the screening tool of feeding problems applied to children
Omnia El-Kassas1, Maii Saad1, Omayma Afsah1
1Phoniatrics Unit, ORL Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
Insights
A new Arabic version of the Screening Tool of Feeding Problems Applied to Children (STEP-CHILD) was validated. This tool accurately identifies pediatric feeding issues in Arabic-speaking children, aiding early intervention.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Clinical Assessment Tools
- Child Development
Background:
- Early identification of pediatric feeding problems is vital to mitigate long-term impacts on a child's quality of life.
- Feeding difficulties can significantly affect a child's development and overall well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate an Arabic-modified version of the Screening Tool of Feeding Problems Applied to Children (STEP-CHILD).
- To create a reliable tool for identifying feeding problems in Arabic-speaking children.
Main Methods:
- The STEP-CHILD Arabic version was administered to parents/caregivers of 390 children (aged 2-18 years).
- The study included typically developing children and those with developmental disabilities.
- Statistical analysis was performed to assess the questionnaire's validity and reliability.
Main Results:
- The STEP-CHILD Arabic demonstrated excellent content, face, discriminant, and convergent validity.
- Predictive validity indicated moderate to high accuracy in identifying pediatric feeding problems.
- The tool showed excellent reliability and specificity in identifying target feeding issues.
Conclusions:
- The STEP-CHILD Arabic is a valid, reliable, and practical tool for routine evaluation.
- It is suitable for identifying Arabic-speaking children at high risk for feeding problems.
- Facilitates early detection and targeted intervention for pediatric feeding issues.
Objectives:
Early identification of pediatric feeding problems is crucial to preventing their subsequent negative impact on children's quality of life. This study aimed to create and validate an Arabic-modified version of the Screening Tool of Feeding Problems Applied to Children (STEP-CHILD) to identify feeding problems in Arabic-speaking children.
Methods:
The STEP-CHILD Arabic was created and administered to the parents/caregivers of 390 Arabic-speaking children aged 2-18 years. 89 typically developing children without feeding/swallowing problems and 301 children with developmental disabilities were included in the study. The data was statistically analyzed to examine the validity and reliability of the questionnaire.
Results:
The STEP-CHILD Arabic demonstrated excellent content validity, face validity, discriminant validity, and convergent validity. Predictive validity showed that the questionnaire has moderate to high accuracy in identifying pediatric feeding problems. It also showed excellent reliability and allowed for determining the specific feeding problems that would be targeted in the intervention.
Conclusions:
The STEP-CHILD Arabic is a valid, reliable, and easily applicable tool that can be used as a routine evaluation for Arabic-speaking children at high risk of feeding problems.
