Examining the Effect of Occupational Therapy-Based Parent Coaching on Feeding Problems in Children With a Preterm Birth

NCT06266507 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 169
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 39
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Feeding problems are common in children with a history of premature birth, and these problems continue into early childhood. Feeding problems are affected by many biopsychosocial factors, and the context in which feeding takes place and the attitudes and behaviors of parents can also be effective in the emergence or continuation of these problems. The aim of our study is to evaluate the effects of occupational therapy-based parent coaching intervention on mothers and their children, who are considered to be primarily responsible for the feeding of children in our country. 46 mothers with premature children will be included in our study and participants will be randomly assigned to intervention/control groups. Mothers will fill out a sociodemographic information form, Canadian Occupational Therapy Measure (COPM), Behavioral Pediatric Feeding Assessment Scale, Sensory Profile Questionnaire - Oral Sensory Processing Subtest, Family Feeding Strategies Scale and Parental Self-Efficacy Scale via Google forms. Mothers in the research group will be given online occupational therapy-based parent coaching training for 10 weeks. Second evaluations will be carried out after the training; Final evaluations will be applied after 1 month of follow-up.

Conditions

Feeding Behavior; Mother-Child Relations; Feeding and Eating Disorders

Keywords

prematurity; feeding problems; occupational therapy; parent coaching

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Behavioral Pediatric Feeding Assessment Scale

  This scale will be used to evaluate children's nutritional problems. Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale (BPFAS) was developed by Crist and Napier Philips in 2001 and its original version consists of 35 questions. The usage age range of the survey is between 9 months and 7 years, and it is the scale with the most comprehensive reliability and validity data among the nutrition surveys administered by parents for preschool children. The questionnaire has good test-retest reliability and internal consistency, acceptable-to-good sensitivity, and good-to-excellent specificity. The BPFAS is capable of screening for a broad spectrum of feeding difficulties (nutritional and textural selectivity, food refusal, and oral motor difficulties). Turkish validity study by Önal et al. It was made by in 2017.

  The scale will be applied 3 times in total: at the beginning of the study, 10 weeks after the first evaluation and 4 weeks after the second evaluation.

• Sensory Profile Questionnaire - Oral Sensory Processing Test

  This scale will be used to examine how children's oral sensory processing skills change before and after the intervention. Ergotherapist Prof. Sensory Profile of the individual developed by Winnie Dunn; It is a measurement tool used to evaluate sensory modulation, in other words, the tendency to respond to sensory stimuli during daily activities and which sensory systems affect daily life more. It is used in children between the ages of 3-10. The individual; The test, which is used to measure functional performance in daily living activities, sensory processing abilities and sensory processing effects, consists of 3 main sub-parameters (sensory processing, modulation and behavioral-emotional responses) and 9 factor scores consisting of these parameters. \*In our study, it was decided to use only the oral sensory processing subtest of questionnaire.

  The scale will be applied 3 times in total: at the beginning of the study, 10 weeks after the first evaluation and 4 weeks after the second evaluation.

• Canadian Occupational Therapy Measurement (COPM)

  The Canadian Occupational Performance Measurement (COPM) is an outcome measure designed to identify changes in individuals' perceived performance and satisfaction levels over time in the areas of self-care, productivity, and leisure. In the application of the COPM, the client is first interviewed and listed occupations they want to do, are expected to do, but are unable to do, or are dissatisfied with the way they are performed. Performance and satisfaction levels are recorded before and after the intervention, allowing the difference between the two assessments to be calculated. The COPM will be used in this study to determine participants' goals for the intervention and to examine changes in performance and satisfaction following the intervention for the identified occupations.

  The scale will be applied 3 times in total: at the beginning of the study, 10 weeks after the first evaluation and 4 weeks after the second evaluation.

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Feeding Strategies Quesstionnaire

  The scale will be applied 3 times in total: at the beginning of the study, 10 weeks after the first evaluation and 4 weeks after the second evaluation.

• Parental Self-Efficacy Scale

  The scale will be applied 3 times in total: at the beginning of the study, 10 weeks after the first evaluation and 4 weeks after the second evaluation.

Study Arms (2)

Research Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Mothers who will receive a 10-week occupational therapy-based parent coaching intervention will be included in this group.

Behavioral: Ergotherapy Based Parent Coaching

Control Group

OTHER

The control group will not receive an active intervention, but will be provided with an informative brochure on early childhood development. Additionally, once the research is completed, the right to participate in the intervention will be granted.

Other: Informative Brochure Distribution

Interventions

Ergotherapy Based Parent Coaching BEHAVIORAL

Occupational Therapy Based Parent Coaching intervention will last 10 sessions and will be carried out on the online platform. Sessions are planned to last between 45-60 minutes. The interviews to be held during the sessions are considered as the basic principles of parent coaching; It will be carried out in line with the principles of joint planning, observation, implementation, reflection and feedback. This intervention aims to educate mothers on proper feeding strategies for their children and to enable them to carry out these practices independently.

Also known as: Informative Brochure Distribution

Research Group

Informative Brochure Distribution OTHER

No active intervention will be made to the mothers in the target group; an informative brochure about early childhood development will be distributed.

Control Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Gender Eligibility Details: Our intervention is aimed at mothers of children with a history of premature birth.
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Prematurity of the child (Birth week \<37)
• The child is between 3-6 years old
• The mother must have the competence to use online platforms, technological tools and internet connection.
• The mother must have sufficient education to read, understand and fill out the scales.
• Mothers reporting complaints about feeding problems in their children

You may not qualify if:

• It may affect the child's feeding; Having a food allergy, disability, neurodevelopmental disease, chromosomal or structural anomalies
• The child is fed non-orally
• Being receiving occupational therapy, oral motor therapy or nutritional therapy at any center
• Not allowing practices such as video sharing, camera/audio sharing, and recording of sessions during the intervention.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ankara Medipol University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Ankara Medipol University

Ankara, Ankara/ Altındağ, 06110, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Related Publications (2)

• Walton K, Daniel AI, Mahood Q, Vaz S, Law N, Unger SL, O'Connor DL. Eating Behaviors, Caregiver Feeding Interactions, and Dietary Patterns of Children Born Preterm: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Adv Nutr. 2022 Jun 1;13(3):875-912. doi: 10.1093/advances/nmac017.

  PMID: 35157009 BACKGROUND

• Dev DA, Padasas I, Hillburn C, Stage VC, Dzewaltowski DA. Ecological Approach to Family-Style, Multilevel Child Care Intervention: Formative Evaluation Using RE-AIM Framework. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2022 Aug;54(8):728-744. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2022.03.005. Epub 2022 Jun 26.

  PMID: 35768329 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Feeding Behavior; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Premature Birth

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior, Animal; Behavior; Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Obstetric Labor, Premature; Obstetric Labor Complications; Pregnancy Complications; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Urogenital Diseases

Study Officials

• Gökçen Akyürek, Ph. D.

  Hacettepe University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Lecturer

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 6, 2024
• First Posted: February 20, 2024
• Study Start: July 29, 2024
• Primary Completion: June 22, 2025
• Study Completion: August 15, 2025
• Last Updated: January 21, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)