Eating Behaviors and Its Determinants: A Cross-Sectional Study In Autistic and Non-Autistic Children

Abstract

Aim: Autism has increased globally, and it impacts nutrition. Factors related to mealtime behaviors of autistic children are understudied, especially in low-and-middle-income countries. Thus, this study aims to compare the eating and mealtime behaviours of autistic children (n=60) with a non-autistic sample (n=62) from Istanbul, Türkiye. Material and Methods: Parents were asked to complete a face-to-face questionnaire that included Children's Eating Behavior Inventory (CEBI) and anthropometric measures. MANCOVAs were used for comparing factors scores of CEBI between autistic and non-autistic participants by adjusting for potential covariates. Results: “Child’s Positive Eating Behavior” and “Adverse conditions in terms of child at the mealtime” (such as vomiting and choking) factors differed significantly depending on the autism status although negative eating behaviors during and after the mealtime were present in both groups. No statistically significant differences were found between the autism and comparison group on BMI percentile along with age and sex of the children. Conclusion: Our results highlight the need for evaluating the nutrition status of children at every age by not only using anthropometric measures and dietary intake, but also assessing eating behaviors. Families could be guided on regulating their children's nutritional behaviors by focusing on development of positive attitudes.