Factors involved in picky eating in children with disabilities visiting outpatient clinics to receive feeding therapy.

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify the factors influencing picky eating in children with disabilities based on the hypothesis that primary disease or oral function is involved in picky eating. The subjects were 242 children aged 3-6 years receiving outpatient feeding therapy at our clinic. The subjects' general and oral conditions and picky eating were assessed by their medical recodes. Resultingly, 79 children showed picky eating. Using logistic regression analysis, associated factors of picky eating were primary disease (p = .04), nutritional methods (p = .01), and oral hypersensitivity (p = .04). The relationship with the primary disease suggests the influence of the characteristics of the primary disease. The relationship with oral hypersensitivity may be attributed to avoiding certain sensations. Additionally, the study revealed that the subjects employed tube feeding to compensate for reduced nutritional intake due to picky eating. This study indicated that primary disease and nutritional method as general conditions and oral hypersensitivity as an oral function were possible factors for picky eating. Picky eating was found to occur at varying frequencies depending on the underlying primary disease, especially when the child struggled to tolerate different sensations experienced during meals.