Assessing the US treatment landscape for paediatric feeding disorder: A survey of multidisciplinary providers.

BACKGROUND: Paediatric feeding disorder (PFD) is a common childhood condition, estimated to impact one in 37 American children under the age of five. Such high prevalence occurs against a backdrop of limited understanding of the community treatment landscape in the United States. METHOD: To better understand the community treatment landscape for PFD in the United States and identify provider and treatment delivery characteristics, we collected primary data through a web-based survey targeting providers from all four PFD domains (i.e., medical, nutritional, feeding skill, and/or psychosocial) between January 2022 and March 2022. The 71-item cross sectional survey focussed on patient, provider and treatment characteristics. We distributed the survey using an electronic survey tool through Feeding Matters listserv followed by solicitation to discipline specific listservs and professional networks. The analytic approach involved descriptive statistics compared across settings and provider types, focussing on respondents within the United States. RESULTS: Eighty-three percent of respondents reported practicing in the United States. Most of the US sample (74.3%) involved providers from the feeding skill domain (speech-language pathologist - SLP, occupational therapist - OT) who reported delivering care through early intervention or outpatient settings using responsive and sensory based approaches. These approaches lack rigorous empirical evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: Survey results suggest a need to support community providers in engagement with research activity to promote a better understanding of treatment approaches and outcomes associated with a large cohort of providers delivering care (i.e. SLPs, OTs) to patients with PFD.

Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool-Bottle-Feeding (NeoEAT-Bottle-Feeding).

BACKGROUND: Feeding difficulties are common in infancy. There are currently no valid and reliable parent-report measures to assess bottle-feeding in infants younger than 7 months. The Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool (NeoEAT)-Bottle-feeding has been developed and content validated. PURPOSE: To determine the factor structure and psychometric properties of the NeoEAT-Bottle-feeding. METHODS: Parents of bottle-feeding infants younger than 7 months were invited to participate. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine factor structure. Internal consistency reliability was tested using Cronbach α. Test-retest reliability was tested between scores on the NeoEAT-Bottle-feeding completed 2 weeks apart. Construct validity was tested using correlations between the NeoEAT-Bottle-feeding, the Infant Gastroesophageal Reflux Questionnaire-Revised (I-GERQ-R), and the Infant Gastrointestinal Symptoms Questionnaire (IGSQ). Known-groups validation was tested by comparing scores between healthy infants and infants with feeding problems. RESULTS: A total of 441 parents participated. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 64-item scale with 5 factors. Internal consistency reliability (α= .92) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.90; P < .001) were both excellent. The NeoEAT-Bottle-feeding had construct validity with the I-GERQ-R (r = 0.74; P < .001) and IGSQ (r = 0.64; P < .001). Healthy infants scored lower on the NeoEAT-Bottle-feeding than infants with feeding problems (P < .001), supporting known-groups validity. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The NeoEAT-Bottle-feeding is an available assessment tool for clinical practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: The NeoEAT-Bottle-feeding is a valid and reliable measure that can now be used in feeding research.Video Abstract Available at https://journals.lww.com/advancesinneonatalcare/Pages/videogallery.aspx.

Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool-Breastfeeding.

The purpose of this study was to identify the factor structure of the Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool-Breastfeeding (NeoEAT-Breastfeeding) and to assess its psychometric properties, including internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, and construct validity as measured by concurrent and known-groups validity. Exploratory factor analysis conducted on responses from 402 parents of breastfeeding infants younger than 7 months old showed a 62-item measure with seven subscales and acceptable internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α = .92). Test-retest reliability was also acceptable (r = .91). The NeoEAT-Breastfeeding has evidence of concurrent validity with the Infant Gastroesophageal Reflux Questionnaire (r = .69) and Infant Gastrointestinal Symptoms Questionnaire (r = .62). The NeoEAT-Breastfeeding total score and all subscale scores were higher in infants with feeding problems than in typically feeding infants (p < .001, known-groups validity). The NeoEAT-Breastfeeding is a parent-report assessment of breastfeeding in infants from birth to 7 months old with good initial evidence of reliability and validity.

The Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool: Development and Content Validation.

PURPOSE: To develop and content validate the Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool (NeoEAT), a parent-report measure of infant feeding. DESIGN: The NeoEAT was developed in three phases. Phase 1: Items were generated from a literature review, available assessment tools, and parents' descriptions of problematic feeding in infants.Phase 2: Professionals rated items for relevance and clarity. Content validity indices were calculated. Phase 3: Parent understanding was explored through cognitive interviews. SAMPLE: Phase 1: Descriptions of infant feeding were obtained from 12 parents of children with diagnosed feeding problems and 29 parents of infants younger than seven months. Phase 2: Nine professionals rated items. Phase 3: Sixteen parents of infants younger than seven months completed the cognitive interview. MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLE: Content validity of the NeoEAT. RESULTS: Three versions were developed: NeoEAT Breastfeeding (72 items), NeoEAT Bottle Feeding (74 items), and NeoEAT Breastfeeding and Bottle Feeding (89 items).

Effects of milk flow on the physiological and behavioural responses to feeding in an infant with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome often experience difficulty with oral feeding, which contributes to growth failure, morbidity, and mortality. In response to feeding difficulty, clinicians often change the bottle nipple, and thus milk flow rate. Slow-flow nipples have been found to reduce the stress of feeding in other fragile infants, but no research has evaluated the responses of infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome to alterations in milk flow. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physiological and behavioural responses of an infant with hypoplastic left heart syndrome to bottle feeding with either a slow-flow (Dr. Brown's Preemie) or a standard-flow (Dr. Brown's Level 2) nipple. A single infant was studied for three feedings: two slow-flow and one standard-flow. Oral feeding, whether with a slow-flow or a standard-flow nipple, was distressing for this infant. During slow-flow feeding, she experienced more coughing events, whereas during standard-flow she experienced more gagging. Disengagement and compelling disorganisation were most common during feeding 3, that is slow-flow, which occurred 2 days after surgical placement of a gastrostomy tube. Clinically significant changes in heart rate, oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate were seen during all feedings. Heart rate was higher during standard-flow and respiratory rate was higher during slow-flow. Further research is needed to examine the responses of infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome to oral feeding and to identify strategies that will support these fragile infants as they learn to feed. Future research should evaluate an even slower-flow nipple along with additional supportive feeding strategies.

Feeding problems in infancy and early childhood: evolutionary concept analysis.

AIM: The aim of this study was to report an analysis of the concept of pediatric feeding problems. BACKGROUND: Reviews of the literature on pediatric feeding problems and disorders repeatedly reference the lack of a shared conceptualization of feeding problems. It is difficult to track aetiology, prevalence and incidence of a phenomenon when available definitions and diagnoses lack practical utility. DESIGN: An evolutionary concept analysis. DATA SOURCES: A search was conducted in October 2014 of Google Scholar, CINAHL, PubMed and Web of Science databases, with MeSH terms and key words including: failure to thrive, feeding disorder/difficulty/problems, infantile anorexia, oral aversion, mealtime behaviour and dysphagia. Inclusion criteria were: subject of feeding problems, index children 0-10 years of age, English language and full text. METHODS: The articles (n = 266) were sorted into disciplines of authorship, including Psychology, Medicine, Nursing, Nutrition, Occupational Therapy, Speech Language Pathology or Other. The sample was divided into a historical sample (n = 42) for pre-2000 articles and current for those published post-2000. The current sample was later reduced to 100 and coded for surrogate terms, related concepts, attributes, antecedents and consequences. RESULTS: The historical view of pediatric feeding problems shows a tradition of mother blame or parental culpability, both direct and indirect. Currently, there exist many different definitions and typologies, but none have sound validity or generalizability. Areas of attribute consensus across disciplines are problematic feeding behaviours and selective or restrictive intake. CONCLUSION: A spectrum conceptualization of feeding problems is suggested for further development, with attributes that would be critical to have a feeding problem.