The pattern of poor appetite in children under five years

Pediatricians are often consulted for poor appetite in children as perceived by parents. For assesment history of development, nutrition and family is important. The aim of this study is to evaluate feding customs of childrens by a questionnaire. Five hundred and seven children who were under five years old admitted Gazi University Social Pediatrics between January 2010 and January 2011 were enrolled in the study. Demografic and feding histories were evaluated by a questionnaire. Childs in the study as poor appetit and not were divided in two groups. The two groups were compared for statistical analysis. Poor appetite was found in 40.8 % of the cases. Infants and children who presented with poor appetite, meals take more time and hungry after long time were found. Playing games during feeding, snacking on between meals and watching television during meals were seen frequently. Multipl regresyon analysis revealed four factors was affected appetite. The number of children of the family-owned, choosing eat, eat alone, the presence of baby-sitter in home were found the effective factors in children, lack of appetite.