TOPLINE

Among children with immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated food allergies, nearly 16% were screened as being at risk for pediatric feeding disorder (PFD), and their caregivers reported significantly more stress and worse feeding-related quality of life than caregivers of children who were not at risk.

METHODOLOGY

• Researchers conducted a cross-sectional study to estimate the proportion of young children with IgE-mediated food allergies who were at risk for PFD and examine whether that risk was linked to caregivers’ stress and feeding-related quality of life.
• They included caregivers of 107 children (mean age, 30 months; 53.3% boys) from allergy clinics at three hospitals in Sydney. Children were grouped as infants (6-18 months; n = 32), toddlers (19-36 months; n = 38), or preschoolers (37-59 months; n = 37).
• Caregivers completed online questionnaires covering three areas: feeding behaviors assessed using the Behavioral Pediatric Feeding Assessment Scale, with a total frequency score above 84 used as a screening threshold to identify children at risk for PFD; parenting stress using the Parental Stress Scale; and the effect of the child's feeding problems on the caregiver's feeding-related quality of life using the Feeding Swallowing Impact Scale.

TAKEAWAY

• Overall, 17 of 107 children (15.9%) exceeded the cutoff on the Behavioral Pediatric Feeding Assessment Scale, indicating risk for PFD.
• Caregivers of children who were at risk had significantly higher parenting stress (Parental Stress Scale mean score, 44.40 vs 34.34; P < .001) and worse feeding-related quality of life (Feeding Swallowing Impact Scale mean score, 43.93 vs 28.13; P < .001) than the caregivers of children not at risk.
• A total of 27.1% of caregivers reported concerns about mealtime behavior.
• Such caregivers described seven feeding issues significantly more often than those who had no concerns: low enjoyment of eating, resistance in trying new foods, reluctance in coming to meals, leaving the table mid-meal, avoiding vegetables, mealtime tantrums, and poor appetite (P < .001 for all).

IN PRACTICE

"The results of this study underscore the need for health services to recognise and address PFD as a potential comorbidity in children with food allergies and to ensure care pathways are equipped to provide holistic, family-centred support," the authors wrote.

SOURCE

Jennifer Kefford, with The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, was the corresponding author of the study, which was published online on October 7 in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.

LIMITATIONS

The study relied on the responses of caregivers to questionnaires, and no clinician assessed the children's feeding skills. Participants were enrolled around the time of oral food challenges, and caregivers with greater feeding concerns may have been more inclined to take part. All participants came from metropolitan clinics.

DISCLOSURES

The study was supported by a Speech Pathology Australia New Researcher Grant. The authors reported no relevant conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.