Faculty of Education, Psychology and Sport Sciences, University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain.
Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology. Biomedical Research Center, Health Sciences Technological Park, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
Int J Eat Disord. 2021 Dec;54(12):2155-2166. doi: 10.1002/eat.23631. Epub 2021 Oct 27.
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.
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 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 < .037; NNT = 4.41), and more eating problems (food rejection, limited variety, disruptive behavior), compared to neurotypical children (p = .001).
Children with ASD showed an unbalanced body composition toward both underweight and obesity, a greater degree of inadequate intake, high food selectivity as indicated by their consumption frequency, and more disturbed eating behavior than children with neurotypical development. We suggest monitoring nutritional inadequacies and implementing nutritional strategies to expand the variety of foods children with ASD consume.
评估自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童与神经典型儿童相比的身体成分、营养状况（通过食物选择性和摄入不足程度评估）和进餐行为。
在 6 至 18 岁的 144 名儿童（ASD 组 55 名，神经典型组 91 名）中进行了一项横断面病例对照研究。评估了身体成分、营养摄入量、食物消费频率（FFQ）和进餐行为。
结果显示，ASD 组中体重较低（18.4% ASD 与 3.20%对照组）和肥胖（16.3% ASD 与 8.6%对照组）的儿童比例较高，BMI 类别（p=0.003；需要治疗的人数[NNT]为 8.07）。当考虑脂肪成分时，ASD 儿童的肥胖发生率高于对照组（47.5% ASD 与 19.4%对照组，p=0.002；NNT 为 10.3）。与神经典型儿童相比，ASD 儿童的摄入不足程度更大（50% ASD 与 22%对照组，p=0.014；NNT 为 3.58），FFQ 显示的食物选择性更高（60.6% ASD 与 37.9%对照组，p<.037；NNT 为 4.41），以及更多的进食问题（食物拒绝、品种有限、破坏性行为）（p=0.001）。
与神经典型发育的儿童相比，ASD 儿童的身体成分表现出不平衡，存在超重和肥胖、摄入不足程度更大、食物选择性更高（通过消费频率来表示），以及进食行为更紊乱。我们建议监测营养不足并实施营养策略，以扩大 ASD 儿童所消费食物的种类。
