Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool - Mixed Breastfeeding and Bottle-Feeding (NeoEAT - Mixed Feeding): Factor Analysis and Psychometric Properties

Overview

Journal Matern Health Neonatol Perinatol

Publisher Biomed Central

Date 2019 Aug 7

PMID 31384477

Citations 4

Authors

Britt Frisk Pados

Suzanne M Thoyre

Kara Galer

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Early identification of feeding difficulty in infancy is critical to supporting breastfeeding and ensuring optimal nutrition for brain development. The Neonatal Eating Assessment Tool (NeoEAT) is a parent-report assessment that currently has two versions: NeoEAT - Breastfeeding and NeoEAT - Bottle-feeding for use in breast and bottle-fed infants, respectively. There are currently no valid and reliable parent-report measures to assess feeding through a combination of both breast and bottle delivery. The purpose of this study was to conduct a factor analysis and test the psychometric properties of a new measure, the NeoEAT - Mixed Breastfeeding and Bottle-Feeding (NeoEAT - Mixed Feeding), including internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, construct validity and known-groups validity.

Methods: Parents of infants younger than 7 months who had fed by both bottle and breast in the previous 7 days were invited to participate. Internal consistency reliability was tested using Cronbach's α. Test-retest reliability was tested between scores on the NeoEAT - Mixed Feeding completed 2 weeks apart. Construct validity was tested using correlations between the NeoEAT - Mixed-Feeding, the Infant Gastroesophageal Reflux Questionnaire - Revised (I-GERQ-R), and the Infant Gastrointestinal Symptoms Questionnaire (IGSQ). Known-groups validation was tested between healthy infants and infants with feeding problems.

Results: A total of 608 parents participated. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 68-item scale with 5 sub-scales. Internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α = .88) and test-retest reliability ( = 0.91; < .001) were both acceptable. Construct validity was demonstrated through correlations with the I-GERQ-R ( = 0.57; < .001) and IGSQ ( = 0.5; < .001). Infants with feeding problems scored significantly higher on the NeoEAT - Mixed Feeding, indicating more problematic feeding symptoms, than infants without feeding problems ( < .001), supporting known-groups validity.

Conclusions: The NeoEAT - Mixed Feeding is a 68-item parent-reported measure of breast- and bottle-feeding behavior for infants less than 7 months old that now has evidence of validity and reliability for use in clinical practice and research. The NeoEAT - Mixed Feeding can be used to identify infants with problematic feeding, guide referral decisions, and evaluate response to interventions.

Citing Articles

Infant Bottle-Feeding: A Prospective Study of Infant Physiology and Parental Report Metrics.

Hines M, Martens A, Zimmerman E Compr Child Adolesc Nurs. 2023; 46(4):309-319.

PMID: 37498287 PMC: 10592442. DOI: 10.1080/24694193.2023.2232457.

Effect of Frenotomy on Maternal Breastfeeding Symptoms and the Relationship Between Maternal Symptoms and Problematic Infant Feeding.

Hill R, Lyons K, Kelly-Weeder S, Pados B Glob Pediatr Health. 2022; 9:2333794X211072835.

PMID: 35071696 PMC: 8771742. DOI: 10.1177/2333794X211072835.

The Gastrointestinal and Gastroesophageal Reflux (GIGER) Scale for Infants and Toddlers.

Pados B, Repsha C, Hill R Glob Pediatr Health. 2021; 8:2333794X211033130.

PMID: 34350308 PMC: 8287340. DOI: 10.1177/2333794X211033130.

Prevalence of problematic feeding in young children born prematurely: a meta-analysis.

Pados B, Hill R, Yamasaki J, Litt J, Lee C BMC Pediatr. 2021; 21(1):110.

PMID: 33676453 PMC: 7936467. DOI: 10.1186/s12887-021-02574-7.

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