AUT-MENU Project: A Bicentric Intervention Study to Improve the Meal Acceptance of Subjects with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Background/Objectives: Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often exhibit low dietary diversity due to Food Selectivity (FS), leading to various forms of malnutrition, such as obesity and/or micronutrient deficiencies. The main objective of the AUT-MENU project is to improve meal acceptan...
| Publicado en: | Nutrients Vol. 18; no. 1; pp. 165 - 187 |
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , |
| Formato: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
MDPI
Jan2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=190788162&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 190788162 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 20726643 B0TT jtl: Nutrients issn: 20726643 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jan2026 vid: 18 iid: 1 pid: 97109 pub: MDPI artinfo: ui: 190788162 190788162 190788162 10.3390/nu18010165 190788162 ppf: 165 ppct: 22 formats: tig: atl: AUT-MENU Project: A Bicentric Intervention Study to Improve the Meal Acceptance of Subjects with Autism Spectrum Disorder. aug: au: Conti, Maria Vittoria Breda, Chiara Zambon, Ilaria Basilico, Sara Ruggeri, Stefania Scalvedi, Maria Luisa Antonazzi, Francesca Cena, Hellas affil: Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy sug: subj: Autism Spectrum Disorder Therapy Eating Behavior Food Preferences Nutrition Education Methods Parents Education Program Evaluation Methods Caregivers Education Food Services Smell Color Perception Practice Guidelines Standards Behavior Therapy Methods Sensation Perception Taste Human Male Female Child Adolescence Adult Funding Source Multicenter Studies Pretest-Posttest Design Quantitative Studies Qualitative Studies Kruskal-Wallis Test Data Analysis Software Exploratory Research Menu Planning Surveys Questionnaires Mediterranean Diet Body Mass Index Clinical Assessment Tools Child: 6-12 years Adolescent: 13-18 years Adult: 19-44 years Male Female ab: Background/Objectives: Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often exhibit low dietary diversity due to Food Selectivity (FS), leading to various forms of malnutrition, such as obesity and/or micronutrient deficiencies. The main objective of the AUT-MENU project is to improve meal acceptance among individuals with ASD. A secondary goal is to evaluate the effectiveness of a nutrition education course for parents of enrolled participants to reduce FS. Methods: The study is a bicentric intervention conducted in three care centers (Northern area, Pavia and Milan) and one secondary school (Southern area, Rome), involving individuals with ASD aged 3 to 35 years. The study consists of an observational phase (T0) and an intervention phase (T1). At T0, biographical data, clinical characteristics, and dietary patterns of participants are collected. Based on T0 findings and existing nutritional recommendations for ASD individuals, targeted menus are developed and tested. At T1, the same assessment tools used at T0 will be applied to evaluate intervention effects. Additionally, a nutrition education course for caregivers will be implemented between T0 and T1, with a pre- and post-course knowledge questionnaire to assess its effectiveness. Results: This paper reports the results from the care centers in the Northern Area. Conclusions: Menu adaptations, developed according to individual preferences and nutritional guidelines, did not significantly modify food consumption but were well tolerated, allowing for an improvement in the nutritional profile of meals without reducing acceptability. These findings support the feasibility of implementing tailored menu strategies in collective catering for individuals with ASD. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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