Nutritional Status and Feeding Behavior Problems of Turkish Children with Special Learning Disabilities

Background: The most common feeding behavior problems in childhood are refusal to eat, eating too little, choosing food, and inappropriate behavior at mealtimes, and they are more common in children with neurodevelopmental disorders than in children with normal development. Specific Learning Disability (SLD), one of the neurodevelopmental disorders, is defined as educational skills being below what is expected according to chronological age and intelligence level. In this cross-sectional study aims to determine the nutritional behavior problems and nutritional status of children with specific learning difficulties. Method: Sociodemographic informations, anthropometric measurements and food consumption records of 76 children (38 boys and 38 girls) diagnosed with SLD were obtained by face-to-face interviews and applying a questionnaire. The Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale was used to determine the feeding behavior problems of children. Results: : The mean age of the children was 9.67±0.19 years. According to the BMI-Z score classification, 2.6% of the children were underweight, 17.1% were overweight and 14.5% were obese. Feeding behavior problems were found in 39.5% of the children. The dietary protein intake of children with feeding behavior problems was found to be significantly lower than those without (p<0.05). A negative and significant correlation was found between feeding behavior problems and body weight (r=-0.406), BMI (r=-0.423), TMI (r=-0.404), MUAC (r=-0.540), TSFT (r=-0.395) and waist circumference (r=-0.337) (p<0.05). Conclusions: In conclusion, it was determined that feeding behavior problems are common in children diagnosed with SLD. Childhood eating behavior problems are likely to persist into young adulthood and may have adverse effects on overall health. Therefore, the nutritional status of children with SLD should be evaluated with appropriate screening tests.