Mealtime Behavior Questionnaire (MBQ)

The Mealtime Behavior Questionnaire asks a parent how often specific things happen at meals — not what a child eats, but what happens around the eating. It was written by feeding specialists and psychologists working from what they actually saw in clinic.

Thirty-three items are rated on a five-point frequency scale, and they sort into four areas. Food refusal and avoidance covers turning food away and leaving the table. Food manipulation covers playing with, spitting out, or holding food in the mouth. Mealtime aggression and distress covers crying, tantrums, and throwing. Choking, gagging, and vomiting covers the physical responses that make mealtimes frightening for everyone. Subscale scores and a total are both produced.