Current therapeutic and educational interventions for feeding problems in early childhood: A systematic review

Feeding problems are common in early childhood and are often a source of concern for families. The aim of this review is to identify therapeutic and educational interventions for sensory-behavioral feeding problems that have become widespread in recent years and to systematically evaluate the evidence for their effectiveness. This review, registered in the PROSPERO system, was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guideline. PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and CINAHL databases were searched for randomized controlled trials published between January 2015 and January 2025. Two independent researchers reviewed 2653 records and included 11 studies. The methodological quality of the data was assessed with the Joanna Briggs Institute checklists. The study findings were examined under 4 headings: children's feeding behaviors, food consumption, sensory motor difficulties and parents' attitudes and satisfaction. Behavioral approaches and systematic desensitization approaches, sensory games, repeated exposure and parent trainings offer promising results in this area, but small samples and short follow-up periods limit the generalizability of the findings. Future studies are recommended to compare different nutritional interventions with larger, heterogeneous samples and to plan long-term follow-up.