IJERPH, Vol. 16, Pages 2264: Physical Status and Parent-Child Feeding Behaviours in Children and Adolescents with Down Syndrome in The United Arab Emirates

IJERPH, Vol. 16, Pages 2264: Physical Status and Parent-Child Feeding Behaviours in Children and Adolescents with Down Syndrome in The United Arab Emirates International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph16132264 Authors: Tareq M. Osaili Amita Attlee Hira Naveed Huda Maklai Menna Mahmoud Noor Hamadeh Tooba Asif Hayder Hasan Reyad S. Obaid The prevalence of Down syndrome (DS) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is high in comparison to the global statistics. The aim of this study is to assess the physical status, feeding problems, parent-child feeding relationship and weight outcome in children and adolescents with DS in the UAE. In this cross-sectional study, 83 individuals aged between 2–19 years with DS were recruited from three humanitarian centres for differently abled in the Emirates of Sharjah and Dubai, UAE. Socio-demographic characteristics; height, weight, BMI and body composition; feeding problems (STEP-CHILD screening tool); and parent-child feeding relationship (child feeding questionnaire—CFQ) were assessed. Correlations and regression analyses were used to determine the relationships and the best predictor of weight outcome (BMI) in DS participants. The median age of the participants was 9 (8) years. Fifty-five (66.3%) males and twenty-eight (33.7%) females constituted a sex ratio of 1.96:1. Five (6.2%) participants were short for their age, and 20.6% were overweight/obese com...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research