Eating behavior of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder who attend a group in a commune in the region of Ñuble, Chile

Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects feeding behavior, causing nutrient deficiencies and affecting overall nutritional status. In the rural population, children and adolescents with ASD are especially vulnerable to these effects. This study sought to determine the feeding behavior of children and adolescents with ASD in a commune of Chile.Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study with 21 children and adolescents from the “Tesoros del Infinito” group in El Carmen. A personal history questionnaire and the Brief Autism Mealtime Behaviors (BAMBI) were used to assess eating behavior, together with anthropometric measurements.Results: 90.48 % of the sample were male, 61.90 % were school children, 57.14 % were from urban areas and 52.38 % were obese. The global BAMBI score was 42.86 ± 6.67 with an internal consistency of 0.74.Conclusion: The eating behavior of children and adolescents with ASD attending a child and family support group is consistent with the available international evidence of children and adolescents with ASD attending educational institutions.