title: The Screening Tool of Feeding Problems applied to children (STEP-CHILD): psychometric characteristics and associations with child and parent variables.
abstract: The present study evaluated the 23-item Screening Tool for Feeding Problems (STEP; Matson & Kuhn, 2001) with a sample of children referred to a hospital-based feeding clinic to examine the scale's psychometric characteristics and then demonstrate how a children's revision of the STEP, the STEP-CHILD is associated with child and parent variables. Participants included 142 children (95 boys, 47 girls; mean age = 61.4 months; 43 with autism, 51 with other special needs, 48 with no special needs). Children ranged in age from 24 months to 18 years. Factor analysis revealed a 15-item STEP-CHILD with six subscales of child feeding problems: chewing problems, rapid eating, food refusal, food selectivity, vomiting, and stealing food. Mediation analysis documented that "overly permissive" actions by parents (such as infrequent insistence on eating during meals, or frequent preparation of Special Meals for children different than the family meal) explained over 34% of the links between children's feeding problems and poor weight and diet outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Westchester Institute for Human Development, Cedarwood Hall, Valhalla, NY 10595-1681, United States. Ljs1284@gmail.com
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Seiverling
authors.forename: Helen M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Hendy
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D002668:Child Rearing / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019959:Feeding and Eating Disorders of Childhood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards