Feeding swallowing impact survey UK reference values raw data

Background: The feeding swallowing impact survey (FS-IS) is an 18-question, 3 subscale, validated tool measuring parent/caregiver impact of children’s eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties. This study aimed to understand how parents of children without paediatric feeding disorder rate on the FS-IS, generating UK reference data. Method: Parents of children aged 6 months-11 years were invited to complete an anonymous, online questionnaire. The Pedi-EAT-10 was used to screen for pediatric feeding disorder. Median and interquartile ranges (IQR) were calculated for total and subscale scores. Percentile rankings were calculated for the cumulative total score. Group differences were assessed using Mann-Whitney U tests for 2 group comparisons and Kruskall-Wallis test for variables with three or more groups with Bonferroni adjustment. The relationship between variables was explored using Spearman’s correlation and 75th centile quantile regression. Results: The final sample consisted of 904 parents. Median (IQR) scores: whole scale 1.11 (1.06, 1.22), daily activities 1.00 (1.00, 1.20), worry 1.29 (1.14, 1.43), feeding difficulties 1.00 (1.00, 1.00). Percentile rank scores: 5th percentile 18, 50th percentile 20, 95th percentile 29. A statistically significant difference was found in median total scores between children above and below two years of age (p=<.001). Child age, number of children in the household, presence of food allergy, history of professional support for feeding difficulties and a parent perceived feeding difficulty were significant predictors of FS-IS score. Conclusions: This data provides UK reference data for the FS-IS, facilitating evaluation of parental impact of feeding difficulties, a key component of holistic, family-centred care.