Pediatric feeding disorders among children with parental history of feeding disorders: a distinct group of patients with unique characteristics

To investigate factors associated with pediatric feeding disorders (PFD) among children of parents that reported to have had feeding disorders during their own childhood compared to children with PFD with no history of parental PFD. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of children diagnosed with PFD according to the recent WHO-based definition. The demographic and clinical characteristics of children with PFD with a parental history of PFD were compared to those of children with a PFD with no history of parental PFD. Included were 231 children with PFD (median [interquartile range] age 10 months [5.5–29] at diagnosis, 58% boys) of whom 133 children had parents without PFD and 98 children had parents with PFD. Unexpectedly, children of parents without PFD had a higher rate of low birth weight (28% vs. 19%, respectively, p = 0.007), more delivery complications (10% vs. 2%, p = 0.006), more hospitalizations (33% vs. 17%, p = 0.004), more prescription medications (27% vs. 18%, p = 0.05), and a higher percent of gastrostomy tube use (6% vs. 0, p = 0.02). Moreover, more parents with PFD had academic background compared with parents without PFD (72% vs. 59%, p = 0.05). There were no significant group differences in sex, history of breastfeeding, parental marital status, or type of the child’s feeding disorder.

  Conclusion: PFD among children with a parental history of PFD comprise a distinct group of patients with unique characteristics and outcomes. Since parental feeding history may explain their child’s PFD in highly differing ways, such information may help in devising a specific family-based and multidisciplinary treatment plan for those children.