Aplicação de escala de alimentação infantil em crianças internadas em uma unidade hospitalar pediátrica

Abstract

The success of feeding is related to the experiences in which the child is involved. Despite being an intrinsic process, many complex systems are involved, such as maturation of the neurological system, coordination of chewing, swallowing and breathing during delivery. It involves more than physiological aspects, being a set of social, environmental, biological and sociocultural factors, that is, the interaction with the caregiver influences the development of healthy habits, when the caregiver is able to identify the signs that the child shows during food, implying sensitivity and respect during the process. Objective: Analyze the risk of feeding difficulties in children aged six months to six years and 11 months in a pediatric unit. Method: This is a quantitative and cross-sectional study. Participants were caregivers of children in the selected age group who were hospitalized in a pediatric unit during the collection period. Data collection took place through a structured interview and application of protocols: Brazilian Infant Feeding Scale (EBAI) and Risk Screening Instrument for Pediatric Dysphagia (IRRD-ped). Quantitative data were transcribed into Microsoft Excel 2010 and later analyzed using SPSS Statistics. Results: It was observed that most of the children in the study did not have guidance on food introduction; the values regarding the risk for dysphagia showed approximate percentages referring to food introduction. In relation to feeding difficulties, it was observed that the distribution was similar between the sexes, however in boys there was a moderate classification. Conclusion: Thus, in this study, it can be observed that even in typical children there were indices of feeding difficulties and risk for dysphagia, even though these were not statistically significant. It is important to emphasize that further studies on the repercussion of eating disorders are necessary, in order to facilitate the early identification of cases, as well as adequate treatment.