Improvements in Child Behavior and Family Mealtime Environment After an Intensive Behavioral Feeding Intervention

• Published in: Behavior modification Vol. 41; no. 1; pp. 163 - 175
• Main Authors: Seiverling, Laura, Hendy, Helen M., Yusupova, Stella
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.01.2017; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: family meal environment; behavioral intervention; child feeding problems
• ISSN: 0145-4455; 1552-4167
• DOI: 10.1177/0145445516666361

The present study examined changes in child and family mealtime patterns before and after intensive behavioral feeding intervention at a multidisciplinary hospital-based program for 50 children. At preintervention and postintervention, caregivers completed surveys to report child feeding goals and the About Your Child’s Eating scale (AYCE). In addition, at postintervention, each caregiver rated intervention effectiveness for his or her child’s feeding goals identified at preintervention and provided intervention satisfaction ratings. Results revealed that caregivers perceived all three AYCE family mealtime patterns to improve from preintervention to postintervention, the majority of caregivers rated intervention as being effective for improving the specific child feeding goals identified at preintervention, and caregivers gave high satisfaction ratings for the intervention.