The Correlation Between Eating Patterns and Nutritional Adequacy of Children with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Due to sensory and motor dysfunction, some children with cerebral palsy (CP), have trouble chewing and ingesting, which may result in inadequate feeding. The goal of this study is to look into the correlation between eating patterns and nutritional adequacy of children with cerebral palsy. This research was carried out in 11 Special Schools Depok, Bogor and Jakarta. Taking into the topic inclusion requirements of the subjects (i.e. aged 5-18 years, had hemiplegic and diplegic types of cerebral palsy, had no infection, and good communication), 45 subjects were interviewed for data collection. A pre-test structured questionnaire which uncovered the identity and dietary intake (1x24-hour food record by caregiver) was used to guide the interviewer and also interview about the type of food of meal and snack and the frequency of eating in children. The results showed that the children with cerebral palsy liked to consume soft and liquid foods. Protein, fat, energy, and carbohydrate showed mean sufficiency levels of 80,9%, 53,5%, respectively. 62.0%, and 66.2%. Iron, calcium, zinc, Vitamins A, D, E, B9, C, calcium, iron, and zinc all exhibited mean sufficiency levels of 40.7%, 29.9%, 41.1%, 135.9%, 36.4%, 63.3%, 30.9%, and 70.8%. There was a substantial beneficial relationship between eating behaviors and protein and carbohydrate sufficiency (p<0.05). This implies that the children with cerebral palsy inadequately consume both macro- and micronutrient source foods. The result showed that there’s a correlation between eating patterns and nutritional adequacy in children with CP. Th