# Prevalence of feeding difficulties in children aged six months to six years who were born prematurely

## TL;DR

The study finds that about 11.6% of preterm children aged six months to six years experience feeding difficulties, with factors like being born small or having a mother with gestational diabetes playing a role.

## Contribution

This is the first application of the Brazilian Infant Feeding Scale in Brazilian preterm infants to assess long-term feeding difficulties.

## Key findings

- 11.62% of preterm children showed feeding difficulties.
- Being born small for gestational age increased the prevalence of feeding difficulties.
- Phototherapy and maternal gestational diabetes were associated with lower prevalence of feeding difficulties.

## Abstract

To describe the prevalence of feeding difficulties in preterm children aged six months to six years and eleven months, and to analyze the relationships with perinatal and neonatal conditions.

This cross-sectional ambispective study applied the Brazilian Infant Feeding Scale to the parents of 129 children followed in preterm outpatient clinics to assess the prevalence of feeding difficulties. Additional variables were collected retrospectively from medical records.

Fifteen children (11.62%) out of 129 exhibited feeding difficulties. Significant influencing variables were being born small for gestational age, having a mother with gestational diabetes mellitus, and undergoing phototherapy. Ventilatory support duration correlated with the Motor-Oral domain, and phototherapy duration correlated with the Sensory-Oral domain of the Brazilian Infant Feeding Scale.

The Brazilian Infant Feeding Scale showed that the prevalence of long-term Feeding Difficulty in preterm infants was 11.62%. Small for Gestational Age newborns showed a higher prevalence. Children undergoing phototherapy and offspring of mothers with gestational diabetes showed a lower prevalence. The other variables studied did not significantly affect the prevalence of Feeding Difficulties, but the duration of ventilatory support affected the Oral-motor domain, and the duration of phototherapy also affected the Oral-Motor. This study marks the first application of the Brazilian Infant Feeding Scale in Brazilian preterm infants.

Descrever a prevalência de dificuldades alimentares em crianças com idade entre seis meses e seis anos e onze meses, nascidas prematuras, e analisar as relações com as condições perinatais e neonatais.

Estudo ambispectivo transversal, no qual a Escala Brasileira de Alimentação Infantil foi aplicada aos pais de 129 crianças acompanhadas em ambulatórios de prematuros, para avaliar a prevalência de Dificuldade Alimentar. As demais variáveis foram coletadas retrospectivamente nos prontuários.

Quinze crianças (11,62%), das 129 que participaram, apresentaram Dificuldade Alimentar. As variáveis que influenciaram significativamente o resultado foram: nascer pequeno para a idade gestacional, ser filho de mãe com Diabetes Mellitus Gestacional e ser submetido à fototerapia. Ao observar os domínios avaliados pela Escala Brasileira de Alimentação infantil, foi possível observar que o tempo de suporte ventilatório teve correlação com o domínio Motor-Oral e o tempo de fototerapia com o domínio Sensório-Oral.

A Escala Brasileira de Alimentação Infantil mostrou que a prevalência de Dificuldade Alimentar a longo prazo em nascidos prematuros foi de 11,62%. Nascidos pequenos para a idade gestacional apresentaram maior prevalência. Crianças submetidas à fototerapia e filhos de mães com diabetes gestacional apresentaram menor prevalência. As outras variáveis estudadas não afetaram significativamente a prevalência de Dificuldades Alimentares, mas o tempo de suporte ventilatório afetou o domínio Motor-Oral e o tempo de fototerapia o Motor-Oral. Este estudo pioneiro marca a primeira aplicação da Escala Brasileira de Alimentação Infantil em crianças brasileiras nascidas prematuras.