FEEDS: Focus on Early Eating, Drinking and Swallowing
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN10454425 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN10454425 |
| Protocol serial number | HTA 15/156/02 |
| Sponsor | Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
| Funder | Health Technology Assessment Programme |
- Submission date
- 08/02/2018
- Registration date
- 15/02/2018
- Last edited
- 29/03/2021
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Nervous System Diseases
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Long-term conditions in children affecting the brain, nerves and muscles are often grouped under the term 'neurodisability'. Difficulties with eating and drinking are common in young children with neurodisability. Eating and drinking difficulties may lead to a restricted diet, poor growth, and impact on development, in addition to general physical health risks such as choking or chest infections. The difficulties may also create stress at mealtimes that can affect wider aspects of family life. Some young children have mostly physical difficulties; for example, those with cerebral palsy may find chewing and swallowing problematic. Other young children have mostly sensory difficulties, such as extreme sensitivity to lumpy food, or difficulties associated with not wanting to eat or making faddy choices, such as in children with autism. Some children have combinations of difficulties. A team of health professionals usually works with parents and carers of young children with eating and drinking difficulties. The professionals identify the cause of the child's difficulties and suggest to parents how eating and drinking might be improved. This could include adjusting posture, reducing the child's sensitivity to certain textures, using medication, or special equipment. The treatments suggested depend on the cause of the child's difficulty. As there is no strong evidence on whether the treatments suggested by professionals actually work, more research is needed to understand whether they are effective. However, before doing these studies the researchers need to know which treatments are regularly recommended, which types of improvement in eating and drinking are considered most important by parents and professionals, and how best to measure a child's progress. This will help to decide which treatments should be tested in a future study and how to assess whether they work.
Who can participate?
Young people aged 12-18 with neurodisability and eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties, their parents, and the healthcare and education professionals who support them
What does the study involve?
Discussion groups and surveys are carried out with parents and professionals to find out about the different treatments recommended for young children with eating and drinking difficulties and how acceptable they are to parents. They are also asked how improvements in a child's eating and drinking should be measured, and when they should be assessed. Published research is examined to see what is currently known about the effectiveness of treatments people think could be important. All the information is combined to identify whether there are treatments that would be worth investigating further, and how best to measure children's progress with eating and drinking. The researchers meet again with parents and professionals, and meet young people who have experienced eating and drinking difficulties, to see whether they can agree how to test treatments in further research. Finally recommendations are made about how future studies should be designed and conducted.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
There is no direct benefit to the participants. Participants of the focus groups receive a £50 voucher to thank them for their time and cover travel expenses. Participants who complete the surveys can enter a prize draw to win one of five £100 vouchers for each survey. Some participants may be upset or distressed when recounting their own or their child’s difficulties and the amount of intervention received or not received. The researchers are skilled at discussing these matters with young people and parents briefly in focus groups, and then having a more detailed discussion after the group, if that is desirable for the young person and parent. The guidance for the focus groups gives clear instruction on supporting young people and parents. Documentation gives the contact details of members of the research team so that people completing a group or survey can contact them if they wish to.
Where is the study run from?
1. Newcastle University (UK)
2. Exeter University (UK)
3. Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (UK)
4. Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (UK)
5. Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
July 2017 to December 2019
Who is funding the study?
NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Helen Taylor
Contact information
Scientific
Institute of Neuroscience
Newcastle University
Level 3 Sir James Spence Institute
Royal Victoria Infirmary
Queen Victoria Road
Newcastle
NE1 4LP
United Kingdom
Study information
| Primary study design | Observational |
|---|---|
| Study design | Observational cross sectional study |
| Secondary study design | Cross sectional study |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | What interventions, which could be delivered at home by parents, are available to improve eating in young children with neurodisability and are suitable for investigation in pragmatic trials? |
| Study acronym | FEEDS |
| Study objectives | What interventions, which could be delivered at home by parents, are available to improve eating in young children with neurodisability and are suitable for investigation in pragmatic trials? Study aims: 1. To determine which parent-delivered interventions are currently offered by NHS professionals and how parents and professionals evaluate whether an intervention is successful or not. 2. To review the clinical practice and research evidence for interventions, outcomes measured and the tools used to measure these outcomes. 3. To construct one or more trial frameworks acceptable to children, young people, parents and professionals; or to specify the additional evidence about interventions, outcomes and tools that would be needed to support a future trial. |
| Ethics approval(s) | West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee, 03/01/2018, REC ref: 17/WM/0439, IRAS Project ID: 215629 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Neurodevelopmental conditions |
| Intervention | Sequential mixed methods design: 1. 1st round of focus groups: Professionals (health and education staff) and parents to gain a preliminary understanding of interventions offered to families of children with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties. 2. Survey 1: Professionals (health and education staff) and parents to identify current use of interventions that parents of young children with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties can use at home. 3. Updating systematic reviews: Update three recent systematic reviews about interventions. 4. Evidence mapping: To identify potential interventions, outcomes and measurement tools and examine properties of the identified tools most frequently used and most valued to measure outcomes. 5. Evidence synthesis 1: Synthesis of evidence gathered through steps 1-4. 6. Second round of focus groups: Professionals (health and education staff), parents and young people to review evidence from synthesis 1. 7. Delphi survey: To gain consensus on trial components. 8. Evidence synthesis 2: Synthesis of evidence from steps 6-7 consensus workshops. 9. Consensus workshops: To draw together all the available evidence to suggest a framework and outcomes for one or more trial(s) of interventions for children with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
This is a scoping study and therefore the outcomes are to identify treatments, key outcomes and measurement tools that could be used in future trials, so there are no outcome measures at this stage |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
There are no secondary outcome measures |
| Completion date | 30/12/2019 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | |
|---|---|
| Age group | Mixed |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 604 |
| Total final enrolment | 951 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Young people aged 12-18 years with neurodisability and eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties 2. Parents of young children with neurodisability who experience eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties up to and including 12 years of age. Parents who have been discharged home from neonatal units will be included 3. Healthcare professionals who support children with neurodisability who experience eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties 4. Education professionals who support children with neurodisability who experience eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Young children with progressive neurodisability and their parents 2. Young children without neurodisability and their parents 3. Parents of children with neurodisability who are inpatients postnatally at time of study |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/12/2017 |
| Date of final enrolment | 31/10/2019 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- England
Study participating centres
Sir James Spence Institute
Royal Victoria Infirmary
Queen Victoria Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4LP
United Kingdom
St Luke's Campus
Heavitree Road
Exeter
EX1 2LU
United Kingdom
North Chailey
Nr Lewes
BN8 4JN
United Kingdom
St Thomas's Hospital
Westminster Bridge Road
London
SE1 7EH
United Kingdom
Queen Victoria Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4LP
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Data sharing statement to be made available at a later date |
| IPD sharing plan | The data sharing plans for the current study are unknown and will be made available at a later date. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | 01/03/2021 | 29/03/2021 | Yes | No | |
| HRA research summary | 28/06/2023 | No | No | ||
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
29/03/2021: Publication reference added.
02/02/2021: The intention to publish date was changed from 30/08/2020 to 30/05/2021.
18/12/2019: The total final enrolment number has been added
10/09/2019: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The recruitment end date was changed from 31/08/2019 to 31/10/2019.
2. The intention to publish date was changed from 30/12/2019 to 30/08/2020.
