Assessing family-based feeding strategies, strengths, and mealtime structure with the Feeding Strategies Questionnaire.
OBJECTIVE
Develop a questionnaire to assess family-based feeding strategies, strengths, and mealtime structure for use with children with feeding problems; validate this new instrument with caregivers of young children from the community and a specialty feeding-clinic; and examine preliminary evidence for reliability and validity.


METHODS
Community caregivers (n = 702) and caregivers seeking services at a pediatric feeding specialty clinic (n = 288) completed the Feeding Strategies Questionnaire (FSQ). A smaller portion of these families also completed an established feeding measure.


RESULTS
Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to develop and validate the FSQ factor structure that resulted in six scales: Mealtime Structure, Consistent Mealtime Schedule, Child Control of Intake, Parent Control of Intake, Between Meal Grazing and Encourages Clean Plate. Evidence of reliability and validity was obtained.


CONCLUSIONS
It appears the FSQ can aid the assessment of feeding strategies relevant to the prevention or treatment of pediatric feeding difficulties.
Berlin
Kristoffer S
KS
Ohio University, Department of Psychology, 200 Porter Hall, Athens, OH 45701, USA. kristoffer.berlin@gmail.com
Davies
W Hobart
WH
Silverman
Alan H
AH
Rudolph
Colin D
CD
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D019959:Feeding and Eating Disorders of Childhood / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires