Picky eating children at pediatrician’s appointment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15574/SP.2023.131.93Keywords:
children, diet, behavioral eating disorders, nutrient deficiencyAbstract
The review article provides data from modern approaches to diagnosis and correction of behavioral eating disorders, that tend to occur in preschool children.
Purpose - to consider the algorithm of pediatrician’s actions in the case of preschool children eating difficulties; to point out the main ways to prevent from development of child’s health negative consequences.
Basic principles of eating behaviour disturbances were analyzed. The main factors, that affect the establishment of child eating behaviour are pregnant woman nutrition, influence of genetic factors and breastfeeding in early childhood. Malnutrition and loss of appetite among the preschool children with a lack of timely detection and due correction lead to negative consequences for children’s health and development, associated with chronic nutriet deficiency. Pediatrician algorithm of actions to manage preschool children eating difficulties includes the estimation of physical development, excluding of internal organs pathology, central nervous system and neuropsychiatric disease. Nutritional anamnesis should comprise information about child’s nutrition from the moment of birth: composition and method of feeding, age of complementary food introduction, food tolerance and manifestation of unusual eating behaviour at this time.
Conclusions. When parents visit a pediatrician with complaints about difficulties in feeding a preschool child, it is necessary to calmly and thoroughly analyze the child’s behaviour, general physical condition and eating habits, and, based on this, determine the possible reasons why the child has no appetite. This will determine what to do with the “starving” child, and whether it is need to do anything at all. The main rules that will help to form healthy eating behaviour in children are the formation of healthy eating habits and the development of healthy lifestyle skills in the child’s family, a full and varied diet, nutrition, regular exercise and outdoor walks. Treatment should be comprehensive and focus primarily on the psychological side of the problem, with nutritional correction as needed.
No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.
References
Benjasuwantep B, Chaithirayanon S, Eiamudomkan M. (2013). Feeding problems in healthy young children: prevalence, related factors and feeding practices. Pediatr Rep. 5 (2): 38-42. https://doi.org/10.4081/pr.2013.e10; PMid:23904965 PMCid:PMC3718228
Cano SC, Tiemeier H, Van Hoeken D et al. (2015). Trajectories of picky eating during childhood: A general population study. Int J Eat Disord. 48 (6): 570-579. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22384; PMid:25644130
Couturier J, Isserlin L, Norris M, Spettigue W, Brouwers M еt al. (2020). Canadian practice guidelines for the treatment of children and adolescents with eating disorders. J Eat Disord. 8: 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-020-0277-8; PMid:32021688 PMCid:PMC6995106
Goh DYT, Jacob A. (2012). Perception of picky eating among children in Singapore and its impact on caregivers: a questionnaire survey. Asia Pacific Family Med. 11 (1): 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/1447-056X-11-5; PMid:22816553 PMCid:PMC3477031
Hafstad GS, Abebe DS, Torgersen L, von Soest T. (2013). Picky eating in preschool children: The predictive role of the child's temperament and mother's negative affectivity. Eat Behav. 14 (3): 274-277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2013.04.001; PMid:23910765
Kerzner B, Milano K, MacLean WC et al. (2015). A practical approach to classifying and managing feeding difficulties. Pediatr. 135 (2): 344-353. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-1630; PMid:25560449
Koletzko B, Godfrey KM, Poston L, Szajewska H, van Goudoever JB еt al. (2019). Nutrition During Pregnancy, Lactation and Early Childhood and its Implications for Maternal and Long-Term Child Health: The Early Nutrition Project Recommendations Ann Nutr Metab. 74: 93-106. https://doi.org/10.1159/000496471; PMid:30673669 PMCid:PMC6397768
Kumar KP, Srikrishna S, Pavan I et al. (2018). Prevalence of picky eating behavior and its impact on growth in preschool children. International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics. 5 (3): 714-719. https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20181036
Leal LO, Salto RR, Cardona LT et al. (2012). Dietary Habits and Nutrient Intakes of a Cohort of Healthy Children in Spain. Open Nutr J. 6: 123-130. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874288201206010123
Leal LO, Salto RRP, Cardona LT et al. (2012). Dietary Habits and Nutrient Intakes of a Cohort of Healthy Children in Spain. The Open Nutrition Journal. 6: 123-130. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874288201206010123
Levy Y, Levy A, Zangen T et al. (2009). Diagnostic Clues for Identification of Nonorganic vs Organic Causes of Food Refusal and Poor Feeding J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 48 (3): 355-362. https://doi.org/10.1097/MPG.0b013e31818b1936; PMid:19274791
Lock J et al. (2010). Randomized clinical trial comparing family-based treatment with adolescent-focused individual therapy for adolescents with anorexia nervosa Arch Gen Psychiatry. 67 (10): 1025-1032. https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.128; PMid:20921118 PMCid:PMC3038846
Mascola AJ, Bryson SW, Agras WS. (2010). Picky eating during childhood: a longitudinal study to age 11 years. Eat Behav. 11 (4): 253-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2010.05.006; PMid:20850060 PMCid:PMC2943861
Norris ML, Spettigue WJ, Katzman DK. (2016). Update on eating disorders: current perspectives on avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder in children and youth Neuropsychiatr Dis Treatm. 12: 213-218. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S82538; PMid:26855577 PMCid:PMC4725687
Oliveira A, Jones L, de Lauzon-Guillain B et al. (2015). Early problematic eating behaviors are associated with lower fruit and vegetable intake and less dietary variety at 4-5 years of age. A prospective analysis of three European birth cohorts. Br J Nutr. 114 (5): 763-771. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114515002287; PMid:26195187
Rybak A. (2015). Organic and Nonorganic Feeding Disorders. Ann. Nutr. Metab. 66 (5): 16-22. https://doi.org/10.1159/000381373; PMid:26226993
Samuel TM, Musa-Veloso K, Ho M et al. (2018). A Narrative Review of Childhood Picky Eating and Its Relationship to Food Intakes, Nutritional Status, and Growth. Nutrients. 10: 1992. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10121992; PMid:30558328 PMCid:PMC6316224
Smith A, Herle M, Fildes A, Cooke L, Steinsbekk S, Llewellyn CH. (2016). Food fussiness and food neophobia share a common etiology in early childhood. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 58 (2): 189-196. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12647; PMid:27739065 PMCid:PMC5298015
Taylor CM, Wernimont SM, Northstone K, Emmett PM. (2015). Picky/fussy eating in children: Review of definitions, assessment, prevalence and dietary intakes. Appetite. 95: 349-359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2015.07.026; PMid:26232139
Webber L, Cooke L, Hill C, Wardle J. (2010). Associations between children's appetitive traits and maternal feeding practices. J Am Diet Assoc. 110: 1718-1722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2010.08.007; PMid:21034886
World health organization. (2018). Infant and young child feeding. URL: https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/infant-and-young-child-feeding/.
Wright CM, Parkinson KN, Shipton D, Drewett RF. (2007). How do toddler eating problems relate to their eating behavior, food preferences, and growth? Pediatrics. 120: 1069-1075. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-2961; PMid:17908727
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Modern pediatrics. Ukraine
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The policy of the Journal “MODERN PEDIATRICS. UKRAINE” is compatible with the vast majority of funders' of open access and self-archiving policies. The journal provides immediate open access route being convinced that everyone – not only scientists - can benefit from research results, and publishes articles exclusively under open access distribution, with a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 international license (СС BY-NC).
Authors transfer the copyright to the Journal “MODERN PEDIATRICS. UKRAINE” when the manuscript is accepted for publication. Authors declare that this manuscript has not been published nor is under simultaneous consideration for publication elsewhere. After publication, the articles become freely available on-line to the public.
Readers have the right to use, distribute, and reproduce articles in any medium, provided the articles and the journal are properly cited.
The use of published materials for commercial purposes is strongly prohibited.
