Clinical and nutritional profile of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder in Brazil: a nationwide online survey

Abstract

Objective  To characterize the clinical and nutritional profile of children and adolescents with ASD in Brazil and their eating problems.

Method  This is a cross-sectional study using a national online survey, with a sample of 613 children and adolescents with ASD aged between 2 and 17 years. Data analysis consisted of descriptive analysis, followed by Pearson's chi-square test with a statistical significance of 0.05 and a 95% confidence interval.

Results  Food allergy was reported by 33.8% of the participants, the most frequent being cow's milk (70.2%), among those who reported gastrointestinal problems, constipation was the most frequent (54.1%). The presence of pica was reported by 25% and food selectivity was present in 77.2%, with greater refusal of fruit, vegetables and pasty textures. Most of the participants do not have follow-ups with a nutritionist and 44.5% are on some special diet, excluding gluten/wheat (75.4%) and without casein/animal milk (76.1%). More than half of the participants did not eat fruit (50.6%), vegetables (68.1%), or leafy greens (83.6%) frequently. A positive correlation was found between food selectivity and gastrointestinal symptoms (p-value < 0.050); food allergy and gastrointestinal symptoms (p-value < 0.001) and pica and gastrointestinal symptoms (p-value < 0.001).

Conclusions  The results of this study show changes in food consumption and increased risk of nutritional deficiencies for children and adolescents with ASD in Brazil.

Keywords
Autism spectrum disorder; Nutrition status; Eating and feeding disorder