Prematüre Doğum Hikayesi Olan Çocukların Beslenme Problemleri İle Bilişsel ve Duyusal Fonksiyonları Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi

Abstract

This study was planned to investigate the relationship between feeding problems and cognitive and sensory functions of children with a history of premature birth. A total of 60 children, 30 of whom were born prematurely and 30 of whom were born at term, were included in the study. The Feeding Problems Screening Tool (STEP) was used to evaluate the feeding problems of the participants, the Dynamic Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (DOTCA-Ch) was used to evaluate their cognitive functions, and the Sensory Profile (SP) was used to evaluate their sensory functions. The difference between feeding problems, cognitive functions and sensory functions of children with a history of premature birth and those who were born on time was examined with the Mann Whitney U test. The feeding problems of children born prematurely are statistically higher than those born at term; cognitive and sensory functions were found to be statistically weaker (p<0.05). The relationship between feeding problems and cognitive functions of children with a history of premature birth, and the relationship between feeding problems and sensory functions were analyzed separately by Spearman Correlation Analysis method. It was found that feeding problems and both cognitive and sensory functions were statistically correlated in preterm children (p<0.05). According to the results of the study, deficiencies in cognitive and sensory functions of children with a history of premature birth affect the feeding activities of these children negatively. We think that various occupational therapy interventions including the evaluation and treatment of cognitive and sensory skills of these children should be planned in future studies to be conducted on the feeding problems of children with a history of premature birth.