Desenvolvimento alimentar infantil e suas repercussões para dificuldades alimentares

Abstract

Child food development is represented by all forms of interaction with food, ranging from preference to ingestion, not only for what we eat, but for other related elements, such as the meal environment, motor and cognitive skills to eat, the way and the time with which it eats and the reasons why people eat. It is noticed that eating is not simple, eating is complex and approximately 25% of all children experience some type of eating problem during the first years of life, a prevalence that can be up to 80% in children with atypical development such as autistic and patients with syndromes with neurological involvement. Research indicates that the onset of eating difficulties occurs before the first year of life in 50% of children and at 18 months of age, or earlier, in up to 75% of children. Considering the above, this dissertation aims to outline the profile of mothers of children with complaints of feeding difficulties aged between 6 and 36 months. The results were presented in the form of a scientific article, which is preceded by a literature review chapter, which contains the theoretical framework on the subject in question. The article is entitled “parental profile on feeding difficulties in children aged 6 to 36 months”. The maternal perception of their children's eating behavior over time and in different situations was taken into account. In this article, relevant information was obtained about children's eating difficulties, which supported a parental profile, envisioning the risk factors associated with eating difficulties, in order to identify children at greater risk so that, once distinguished, they are forwarded to the competent professional to in order to make an accurate diagnosis and intervene in an early and timely manner. It is concluded that the mothers of the analyzed children are aged between 30 and 39 years, with higher education, family income between 4 and 10 minimum wages, a full-term male child, exclusively breastfed for 06 months, maintaining breastfeeding between 24 and 30 months with allergic manifestations without a diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux, starting with food refusal at 10 months of age and seeking a professional at 20 months. Mothers have difficulties in perceiving if there are chewing problems and in distinguishing signs of satiety. The predominant parenting style was indulgent, resorting to distraction at mealtimes.