Feeding difficulties in premature children : a systematic review

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this systematic review is to discuss the feeding difficulties (FD) in premature infant (PI), the factors involved, and, when applicable, to compare these FD with full-term infants. Method: Articles were considered eligible in the databases Pubmed, Lilacs, and Scopus, published until March 2020, in Portuguese or English. Results: 11 studies were included. FD mentioned was food selectivity, food refusal, and vomiting. In studies comparing IP with full-term children, PI showed less impulse to eat, a tendency to have less food variety, less appetite, and less pleasure with food. Discussion: It is still inconclusive whether there is a pattern of FD related to prematurity and which may be associated with their involved factors in PI. Therefore, we highlighted the importance of clarifying how to promote healthy feeding, observing families that have PI, as well as the need for further studies that can better elucidate the occurrence of FD in PI.