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Prevalence of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder in Portuguese children aged 2–10 years: a cross-sectional study

2025-11-26Journal article Open access
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datacite.subject.fosCiências Médicas::Ciências da Saúde
datacite.subject.sdg03:Saúde de Qualidade
datacite.subject.sdg04:Educação de Qualidade
datacite.subject.sdg17:Parcerias para a Implementação dos Objetivos
dc.contributor.authorNovo, Rita
dc.contributor.authorVieito, Leonel
dc.contributor.authorDias, Sara
dc.contributor.authorBraga-Pontes, Cátia
dc.contributor.editorHay, Phillipa
dc.contributor.editorTouyz, Stephen
dc.date.accessioned2025-12-16T15:17:26Z
dc.date.available2025-12-16T15:17:26Z
dc.date.issued2025-11-26
dc.descriptionArticle number - 272
dc.description.abstractBackground Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder characterised by the avoidance or restriction of food intake, associated with high sensory sensitivity, disinterest in eating, or fear of adverse consequences. It can lead to nutritional deficiencies, impaired growth, or psychosocial difficulties. Although recognition of ARFID has increased internationally, prevalence data in Portugal remain scarce. Methods This cross-sectional, descriptive observational study assessed the prevalence of ARFID in children aged 2–10 years attending a private outpatient clinic. Paediatricians applied DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria during routine consultations. Parents completed online questionnaires, including the Children’s Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) and the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ). Results Of the 163 children assessed, ARFID was diagnosed in 3.1% of cases. Four of the five identified children were male (80%), with a mean age of 5.8 years (SD = 2.17). On the CEBQ, children with ARFID showed the highest mean scores on the food fussiness and satiety responsiveness subscales, indicating greater selectivity and heightened sensitivity to fullness. The lowest mean scores were observed in emotional overeating and desire to drink. On the CFQ, perceived responsibility and monitoring were the subscales with the highest mean values. Conclusions This study provides the first prevalence estimate of ARFID in Portuguese clinical practice. Although the small sample limits generalisability, the findings emphasise the need to raise awareness among both clinicians and parents to promote earlier recognition, thereby improving support for children and families and helping to reduce the long-term impact of ARFID.eng
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was funded by Portuguese national funds provided by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT)(UID/05704/2023); and RN is funded by FCT/UIDB/05704/2020.
dc.identifier.citationNovo, R., Vieito, L., Dias, S.S. et al. Prevalence of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder in Portuguese children aged 2–10 years: a cross-sectional study. J Eat Disord 13, 272 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-025-01456-y
dc.identifier.doi10.1186/s40337-025-01456-y
dc.identifier.eissn2050-2974
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/15089
dc.language.isoeng
dc.peerreviewedyes
dc.publisherSpringer Nature
dc.relation.hasversionhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40337-025-01456-y
dc.relation.ispartofJournal of Eating Disorders
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectAvoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
dc.subjectChildren
dc.subjectEating behaviour
dc.subjectPrevalence
dc.titlePrevalence of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder in Portuguese children aged 2–10 years: a cross-sectional studyeng
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.endPage8
oaire.citation.issue1
oaire.citation.startPage1
oaire.citation.titleJournal of Eating Disorders
oaire.citation.volume13
oaire.versionhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
person.familyNameNovo
person.familyNameVieito
person.familyNameDias
person.familyNamePereira Braga Pontes
person.givenNameRita
person.givenNameLeonel
person.givenNameSara
person.givenNameCátia Sofia
person.identifier.ciencia-id4F13-84DF-267D
person.identifier.ciencia-idAA1F-9375-B5E6
person.identifier.ciencia-id4114-E973-CD25
person.identifier.orcid0000-0001-8105-5924
person.identifier.orcid0009-0003-4341-748X
person.identifier.orcid0000-0001-6782-7481
person.identifier.orcid0000-0003-1971-0064
person.identifier.ridI-9965-2018
person.identifier.scopus-author-id33367487300
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relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery88964c81-40b0-4bd4-847b-f60c56a7f5ef

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