Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Healthy, Full-Term Infants Under 7 Months of Age.

PURPOSE

To describe symptoms of gastrointestinal distress experienced by healthy, full-term infants in the first 7 months of life and test the psychometric properties of the Infant Gastrointestinal Symptoms Questionnaire (IGSQ).

DESIGN AND METHODS

Parents of infants <7 months (n = 320) completed the IGSQ, the Infant Gastroesophageal Reflux Questionnaire - Revised (I-GERQ-R), and the Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool (NeoEAT) - Breastfeeding and/or Bottle-feeding. Median and percentile scores were calculated for the IGSQ scores for each age group: 0-2, 2-4, 4-6, and 6-7 months. Change in IGSQ scores with age were evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test with Mann-Whitney U tests for post-hoc comparisons. Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Concurrent validity was tested using Spearman's rho between the IGSQ and the I-GERQ-R and NeoEAT.

RESULTS

IGSQ scores decreased significantly with increased infant age, from a median of 28 at 0-2 months to 23 at 6-7 months old. The IGSQ had acceptable internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.74). IGSQ total score was significantly correlated with I-GERQ-R total score (Spearman's rho (r) = 0.69, p < .001), NeoEAT - Breastfeeding: Gastrointestinal Function subscale score (r = 0.46, p < .001), and NeoEAT - Bottle-feeding: Gastrointestinal Tract Function subscale score (r = 0.47, p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Gastrointestinal symptoms decrease with increasing age in the first 7 months of life. The IGSQ has evidence of acceptable internal consistency reliability and concurrent validity.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

These data can be used to guide IGSQ score interpretation.