Paediatrica Indonesiana
Vol. 65 No. 2 (2025): March 2025

Risk factors for feeding difficulties in children with cerebral palsy

Nur, Fadhilah Tia (Unknown)
Handryastuti, Setyo (Unknown)
Pusponegoro, Hardiono D. (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
19 May 2025

Abstract

Background Cerebral palsy (CP) is caused by brain injury sustained during development. It is a motor and posture disorder. Feeding problems are more likely to appear in children with severe motor impairment, leading to insufficient caloric intake and malnourished. Objective To indentify association between the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS)  and CP type  as risk factors of  feeding difficulties in children with  CP. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted between January and September 2015, in a Pediatric Neurology Outpatient Clinic at a tertiary hospital in Surakarta, Indonesia. Nutritional status, feeding difficulties, and the  GMFCS were used to assess children with  CP.  We performed Gross Motor Function Measure-88 to identify the GMFCS. Regulation of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia No. 2 of 2020 concerning child anthropometric standards was carried out to evaluate and classify nutritional status. Krick CP growth curve was used to compare spastic quadriplegia. Calorie intake was evaluated by dietary analysis and defined as adequate if it reached 13.9 kcal/cm body height (BH) ± 10%. Results The majority of CP patients (96.3%) were spastic, with quadriplegic and diplegic cases being the most common. Malnourished impacted 78% of all participants; in addition, 78% of participants reported having feeding difficulties, with roughly one-third having a high GMFCS score. The GMFCS scale on oromotor dysfunction (OMD) and bad postural control (BPC) showed statistically significant, with P values of 0.042 and 0.041, respectively. The GMFCS scale and spastic CP type is also statistically significant with BPC (OR 6.35;95%CI 3.29 to 24.12 and OR 4.32;95%CI 2.53 to 22.35, respectively). Sixty-eight% of children with CP were wasted, with 10% experiencing severely wasted. Conclusion Children with CP who have a higher GMFCS score and spastic CP are more likely to have feeding issues.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

paediatrica-indonesiana

Publisher

Subject

Health Professions Medicine & Pharmacology

Description

Paediatrica Indonesiana is a medical journal devoted to the health, in a broad sense, affecting fetuses, infants, children, and adolescents, belonged to the Indonesian Pediatric Society. Its publications are directed to pediatricians and other medical practitioners or researchers at all levels of ...