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Medicine and Health Sciences Commons

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Marquette University

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Series

2016

Pediatric

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Autism Spectrum Disorder And The Child's Weight–Related Behaviors: A Parents' Perspective, Michele Polfuss, Norah L. Johnson, Susan A. Bonis, Fallon Apollon, Kathleen Sawin Nov 2016

Autism Spectrum Disorder And The Child's Weight–Related Behaviors: A Parents' Perspective, Michele Polfuss, Norah L. Johnson, Susan A. Bonis, Fallon Apollon, Kathleen Sawin

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

To explore parent perspectives of how the attributes of their child's autism spectrum disorder(ASD) impact nutrition, physical activity, screen time behaviors and risk for obesity. Secondarily, we examined the parent's perception of the healthcare providers (HCP) influence on these weight-related behaviors.

Design and method

We conducted and audio-recorded telephone interviews with parents of children with ASD (n = 8) using a structured question guide. Data were transcribed and thematic analysis was conducted. Issues surrounding weight-related behaviors and parental strategies used were reported.

Results

Two overarching themes with eight subthemes emerged: (1) Challenges related to features of ASD (subthemes included …