Research Tools for Eating Behavior in People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

ObjectiveTo identify the tools used to assess eating behaviors in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and summarize their distribution, citation rates, journal publication, JCR scores, and psychometric properties.MethodsA literature review was conducted to identify studies on eating behavior in individuals with ASD. The search included various descriptors and combinations of keywords in databases such as Medline/PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, SciELO, and Web of Science. The studies were filtered to focus on articles published in the last five years. Thirty-seven relevant studies were identified and analyzed to summarize the tools used, their distribution in the literature, citation rates, and psychometric properties.ResultsThirty-seven relevant studies were identified. The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders published the most studies (5). The Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory (BAMBI) was the most frequently used instrument, appearing in 15 studies, followed by the Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale (BPFAS) in 8 studies. Both instruments demonstrated solid psychometric properties, with BAMBI showing good internal consistency (alpha = 0.88) and BPFAS a Cronbach's alpha of 0.82.ConclusionMost of the instruments used in studies on eating behavior in individuals with ASD demonstrate satisfactory psychometric properties. BAMBI and BPFAS stand out for their widespread use but are limited to covering only specific age ranges.