LB118 - CAREGIVERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND SATISFACTION OF A HYPERCALORIC, PLANT-BASED, REAL FOOD INGREDIENT FORMULA FOR TUBE FED PEDIATRIC PATIENTS

LB118

CAREGIVERS’ PERCEPTIONS AND SATISFACTION OF A HYPERCALORIC, PLANT-BASED, REAL FOOD INGREDIENT FORMULA FOR TUBE FED PEDIATRIC PATIENTS

C. Steel^1,*, A. Ramuscak², I. Martincevic^2,3, H. Assiri², E. Carrion², J. M. Hulst^2,4

¹Nestle Health Science Canada, North York, ²Pediatrics, ³Clinical Dietetics, ⁴Pediatrics and Nutritional Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada

Rationale: Caregivers of children with medical complexities (CMC) have shown growing interest in commercial blenderized formulas, which may improve gastrointestinal symptom management. This study aimed to assess caregivers’ satisfaction and perception of their child’s tolerability of a hypercaloric, plant-based formula after an exclusive 14-day study period.

Methods: From May 2023 to June 2024, an end of study questionnaire with nine Likert-scale questions and two open-ended questions was administered to caregivers of CMC (1-13 years old), who completed a 14-day single-arm, open-label study evaluating the tolerability and nutritional adequacy of Compleat® Junior 1.5. Eligible CMC were recruited from outpatient clinics at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. Caregivers monitored daily intake, feed tolerance, and bowel movements during the study period using an electronic database (Medrio ®) and completed the end-of-study questionnaire. Descriptive statistics summarized the caregivers’ perceptions of their child’s gastrointestinal symptoms before and after using the study formula. Content analysis identified themes from the open-ended responses regarding satisfaction.

Results: Twenty-six caregivers (26/27 included) completed the end of study questionnaire with a median child age of 5.5 years (IQR, 2.5-7). Most caregivers perceived their child to experience a similar frequency of vomiting (53.8%), constipation (46.2%), pain with feeds (57.7%), gagging/retching (53.8%), intolerance to formula (61.5%), and inability to sleep well due to tube feeds (73.1%) when administering the study formula compared to their baseline feeds. Most caregivers were satisfied (53.8%) or very satisfied (30.8%) with the study formula. Twenty families (76.9%) expressed interest in continuing to use the study formula, citing their child’s improved tolerance (n=8), weight gain (n=6), and the formula’s higher caloric concentration (n=3) as reasons for wanting to continue

Conclusion: Caregivers of CMC reported overall satisfaction with the hypercaloric, plant-based formula, with many expressing interests in continued use. These findings suggest the study formula could be a valuable addition to the care of CMC, warranting further investigation into long-term outcomes.

Disclosure of Interest: C. Steel Other: Employee of Nestle Health Science Canada, A. Ramuscak Grant / Research Support from: Nestle Health Science Canada, I. Martincevic Grant / Research Support from: Nestle Health Science Canada, H. Assiri Grant / Research Support from: Nestle Health Science Canada, E. Carrion Grant / Research Support from: Nestle Health Science Canada, J. Hulst Grant / Research Support from: Nestle Health Science Canada