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Children with feeding difficulties have insufficient intake of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber

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Abstract

Purpose

To determine the consumption of micronutrients and dietary fiber and prevalence of inadequacy in relation to the recommendations for age in children with feeding difficulties (FD) and predictive factors (related to FD) of dietary intake.

Methods

This retrospective observational study of medical records included 91 children diagnosed with FD, with age ranging from 1 to 13 years, without dietary supplementation or breast milk. Growth indicators were analyzed according to age criteria, and dietary micronutrient intake was evaluated based on age recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, adjusted for total caloric intake. For fiber consumption, the recommendations from American Health Foundation were used.

Results

There was a high rate of inadequate consumption of all evaluated micronutrients, with fiber, vitamin A, and calcium having the highest prevalence of inadequacy and iron with the lowest. The age groups that presented the most inadequate intake in both sexes were children aged 9–13 years. The use of distractions during meals, the number of family meals taken weekly, the volume of milk ingested, the style of parental care at meals, and the child’s autonomy at meals were predictive variables of children’s nutrient intake.

Conclusion

The prevalence of inadequate micronutrient and fiber intake among children with FD was high in both sexes, with a tendency to increase with age. Some characteristics of FD were predictive of nutrient intake in children. The results of this study indicate the nutritional risk in children with FD and the importance of reversing the condition as early as possible.

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Abbreviations

ANOVA:

analysis of variation

BMI/A:

body mass index-for-age

CIs:

confidence intervals

DRI:

dietary reference intakes

DSM-5:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition

EAR:

estimated average requirement

FD:

feeding difficulties

H/A:

height-for-age

IOM:

Institute of Medicine

RDA:

recommended daily allowance

RR:

relative risk

UHT:

ultra-high temperature

UL:

upper limit

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the students Rita Fernandes, Bruna Alcântara, and Anna Beatriz Gomes for their assistance in data collection and participation in the literature search related to the topic.

Funding

The study was financed by PENSI Institute.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto PENSI, Av. Angélica, 2.071 - Consolação, São Paulo, SP, 01228-200, Brazil

    Priscila Maximino, Raquel Ricci, Claudia de Cássia Ramos, Luana Romão Nogueira & Mauro Fisberg

  2. Hospital do Coração, Rua Abílio Soares, 279 – Paraíso, São Paulo, SP, 04005-000, Brazil

    Rachel Helena Vieira Machado

Authors
  1. Priscila Maximino
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  2. Raquel Ricci
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  3. Rachel Helena Vieira Machado
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  4. Claudia de Cássia Ramos
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  5. Luana Romão Nogueira
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  6. Mauro Fisberg
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luana Romão Nogueira.

Ethics declarations

All participants had written consent forms signed by a responsible caregiver, and the research project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the PENSI Institute (CAAE no. 01873918.1.0000.5567).

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Maximino, P., Ricci, R., Machado, R.H.V. et al. Children with feeding difficulties have insufficient intake of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Nutrire 45, 22 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41110-020-00124-2

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