RATIONALE: To describe QOL of children undergoing OFC in Canada and explore association between QOL, demographic/clinical characteristics, and parental confidence in recognizing anaphylaxis and using an autoinjector. METHODS: The FAQLQ-PF (higher score5poorer QoL; range50-6) was used to calculate QOL among children (n5166) undergoing OFC at the BC Children's Hospital Allergy clinic between Jan'14 and Oct'15. Linear regression was used to assess the relationship between QOL, demographic/clinical characteristics, and several confidence domains. RESULTS: Mean QOL score was 1.95 (95%CI: 1.71, 2.17) overall, 1.05 (0.47, 1.63) for tree nut, 1.70 (1.30, 2.11) for peanut, and 2.16 (1.74, 2.58) for egg. QOL was worse for older children (p50.001), having a health professional (HCP) parent (p50.02), experiencing more severe reactions (p50.04), and having ever administered an autoinjector (p<0.001). QOL was better for children undergoing OFC to tree nut compared with egg (p50.009). CONCLUSIONS: Health professionals are likely more aware of risks of food allergy, negatively affecting their child's QOL. Similarly, older children, those who've experienced severe reactions, and those who've used an autoinjector may be more worried about risks. Tree nut allergy resulted in better QOL than egg allergy, likely due to egg being harder to avoid. We found no association between QOL and several confidence domains, suggesting confidence with recognizing anaphylaxis and using an autoinjector is insufficient for improving QOL.
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