Feeding problems in Turkish children with down syndrome and parental quality of life: A cross-sectional study

Background Children with Down syndrome (DS) often have feeding problems, which may negatively affect the quality of life (QoL) of their parents. This study aimed to identify feeding problems in children with DS and to examine the relationship between these feeding problems and parental QoL. Methods This cross-sectional study included 105 parents of children aged 10–18 years with DS in Turkey. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the Screening Tool of Feeding Problems (STEP) and the SF-36 Health Survey (SF-36). Results This study indicated that the mean STEP scale scores were below the average level across all frequency × severity subscales. Parents' mean scores on the SF-36 QoL scale were above the reference mean (x̄ = 50.00) for the physical functioning, vitality, mental health, social functioning, pain, and general health perception subscales, whereas scores for the physical role limitation and emotional role limitation subscales were below the reference mean. In this study, a moderate negative correlation was found between STEP subscale scores and parents' mean SF-36 subscale scores ( p ≤ 0.05). Conclusions In this study, a significant negative correlation was found between the STEP subscale scores and the parents' mean SF-36 subscale scores. Implications to practice: Routine feeding assessments using the STEP scale should be conducted for children with DS, and nurse-led parent education programs addressing feeding problems should be implemented.