Application of the PediEAT Argentinian version questionnaire to assess symptoms of problematic eating in children

Abstract

Eating problems during childhood is a clinical issue that requires evaluation of its symptoms to determine the need for diagnosis and professional treatment. The PediEAT is an instrument to assess observable symptoms of eating problems in children 6 months to 7 years of age who consume solid foods. Objective: Develop and apply an Argentinian version of the PediEAT tool equivalent to the original version to assess observable symptoms of feeding problems in children aged 6 months to 7 years with and without disabilities.

An observational and cross-sectional study was conducted. Sequential sampling. The cross-cultural adaptation of the instrument was carried out and it was applied to the Argentine population. It was organized in 3 phases a) content validity evaluation of the Pedi-EAT by a panel of pediatrics experts, b) pretest with family interviews and c) evaluation: reliability and validity tests, through an online questionnaire to caregivers of children. Categorical variables were evaluated with Fisher's exact test and continuous variables with t-test or Mann-Whitney test according to their nature (p<0.05). The internal consistency of each item was analyzed with Cronbach's alpha (α > 0.7).

Cross-cultural adaptation: 47 items were modified from the original version in Spanish to obtain an Argentinian version, 36 changes based on the suggestions of the expert committee and 11 from the cognitive interviews. Application of the questionnaire: 310 families completed the Argentine version. A higher prevalence of problematic behaviors were obtained in children with disabilities and in those children whose caregivers considered that they had problematic eating. An acceptable internal consistency coefficient was obtained for the complete questionnaire (α= 0.92).

An adequate questionnaire for Argentinian families, equivalent to the original version, capable of detecting symptoms of problematic eating was obtained. There were significant differences in problematic behaviors between those with disabilities and their peers.