Feeding difficulties in disabled children leads to malnutrition: experience in an Indian slum

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to explore the nature, extent and probable causes of nutritional deficiencies among children with disabilities living in Dharavi, a slum in Mumbai, India. A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate whether the nutritional status of children with disabilities, aged 2 -6 years (n 141), was worse than that of non-disabled sibling controls (n 122) and neighbour controls (n 162). Data on food patterns, anthropometry, micronutrient status and feeding difficulties reported by parents were collected. The mean weight for age of the children with disabilities (2 2·44 (SD 1·39) Z scores; n 120) was significantly lower (P,0·05) compared with the sibling (2 1·70 (SD 1·20) Z scores; n 109) and neighbour (21·83 (SD 1·290) Z scores; n 162) control groups. The children with disabilities had significantly lower (P, 0·05) mean haemoglobin levels (92 (SD 23) g/l; n 134) compared with siblings (102 (SD 18) g/l; n 103) and neighbours (99 (SD 18) g/l; n 153). Relative risk (RR) analysis indicated that the disabled children with feeding difficulties were significantly more likely (P, 0·05) to be malnourished, by the indicator of weight for age (RR 1·1; 95 % CI 1·08, 1·20) compared with the disabled children without a feeding difficulty. They were also significantly more likely to be malnourished using the indicators of height for age (RR 1·3; 95 % CI 1·19, 1·43) and weight for height (RR 2·4; 95 % CI 1·78, 3·23) compared with the disabled children without a feeding difficulty. Feeding difficulties were identified as a risk factor for vulnerability to inadequate nutritional status among children with disabilities.

Pengaruh Intervensi Konseling Feeding Rules dan Stimulasi Terhadap Status Gizi dan Perkembangan Anak di Posyandu Kabupaten Jayapura

“…4,12,13 Kesulitan makan merupakan faktor risiko kerentanan terhadap kekurangan gizi pada anak. 14 Inappropriate feeding practice merupakan praktik pemberian makan pada anak yang tidak sesuai dengan umur maupun tahapan perkembangannya. 15 Feeding practice yang tidak benar sering ditemui pada penelitian kami adalah pemberian makan anak yang tidak sesuai dengan tahapan usia.…”

Is undernutrition a risk factor for sensorineural hearing loss in early infancy?

“…The affected infants were likely to have experienced significant weight loss during this period due to suboptimal feeding. A detailed analysis of the feeding pattern of the participants was outside the scope of the present report but studies among older infants with developmental disabilities in developing countries such as India and Nigeria have found that feeding difficulties among these children predisposed them to a higher risk of undernutrition compared with their nondisabled peers (22,23) .…”

Dukungan Keluarga Berhubungan dengan Asupan Energi Anak Retardasi Mental di SLB Negeri 01 Bantul Yogyakarta

“…Di sisi lain, ABK memiliki masalah kesulitan makan (feeding difficulty) yang akan berdampak pada rendahnya asupan zat gizi dan status gizinya (14). Hal ini mengindikasikan bahwa dukungan keluarga sangat penting untuk mendukung asupan zat gizi pada anak-anak tersebut.…”

“…Kesulitan makan ini meningkatkan risiko malnutrisi pada anak retardasi mental, terlebih saat orangtua tidak memiliki waktu yang cukup untuk memberikan dukungannya (14). Sejumlah ABK memiliki beberapa hambatan lain dalam mengonsumsi makanan, seperti gangguan dalam mengunyah dan menelan.…”

“…Salah satunya adalah dengan meningkatkan kemampuan orangtua dalam pemberian makan pada anak (14). Secara khusus, untuk membantu mengoptimalkan pemenuhan energi anak, orangtua sebaiknya secara berulang menyediakan asupan makan dengan jumlah energi yang adekuat dan zat gizi yang berasal dari sumber makanan yang bervariasi (13).…”