Food selectivity, nutritional inadequacies, and mealtime behavioral problems in children with autism spectrum disorder compared to neurotypical children

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate body composition, nutritional status through food selectivity and degree of inadequate intake, and mealtime behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to neurotypical children. Method: A cross-sectional case–control study was carried out in 144 children (N = 55 with ASD; N = 91 with neurotypical children) between 6 and 18 years of age. Body composition, nutritional intake, food consumption frequency (FFQ), and mealtime behavior were evaluated. Results: Results showed a greater presence of children with a low weight (18.4% ASD vs. 3.20% comparison group) and obesity (16.3% ASD vs. 8.6% comparison group) in the ASD group for body mass index (BMI) categories (p =.003; number needed to take [NNT] = 8.07). The presence of obesity in ASD children compared to the comparison group was even higher when considering the fat component (47.5% ASD vs. 19.4% comparison group, p =.002; NNT = 10.3). ASD children had greater intake inadequacy (50% ASD vs. 22% comparison group, p =.014; NNT = 3.58), high food selectivity by FFQ (60.6% ASD vs. 37.9% comparison group, p