Examining Differences in Parent Knowledge About Pediatric Food Allergies

Abstract

Objective Pediatric food allergy (FA) is a serious health condition that has become increasingly prevalent. Parents often play a primary role in assessing and managing risk for their child’s FAs, making it critical that they remain informed of the most recent guidelines for FA management. This study aimed to examine if diagnostic source (i.e., pediatrician vs. allergist) and child- and parent-level variables predicted parental FA knowledge using a comprehensive measure. Methods The Food Allergy Knowledge Test (FAKT) was administered to parents (N = 518) of children aged 3–17 years with (n = 349) and without (n = 169; i.e., control group) FAs using internet-sampling procedures. The sample was further partitioned into parents of children diagnosed by an allergist or a pediatrician, and control group parents who did or did not endorse knowing someone with an FA. Results Significant group differences were found with respect to the overall FAKT score and diagnostic source. Among the FA group, parental relationship to child, income, identification with a minority status, parental anxiety, and child possession of an emergency action plan were significant predictors of FAKT scores. Conclusions Knowledge of FA was poor across all groups. Education for caregivers both with and without food-allergic children is important to ensure FA safety in multiple settings. Future directions and limitations are discussed.

Parental intentions regarding introduction of common food allergens during complimentary feeding

“…The study also provides an insight into the relatively low level of knowledge parents have regarding food allergy, with the average score being 39%. Similar poor levels of knowledge were reported by Luke et al 6 Children with two or more first‐degree relatives with allergic disease are at higher risk of developing food allergy while having one first‐degree relative with allergic disease moderately increases the infant's risk 7 . In our study, approximately half the parents whose infant is at an increased risk of developing a food allergy, either with one or two allergic relatives, failed to recognize this risk.…”

Racial Differences in Timing of Food Allergen Introduction

“…A recent study surveying parents/caregivers of children with FA found that while caregiver knowledge about pediatric food allergies is generally suboptimal, misperceptions were more frequently reported among racial/ethnic minority respondents and those reporting lower household income. 7 White children with peanut allergy in our study were more often introduced to peanut products at recommended ages compared to Black children with peanut allergy born between 2017-2019 during which time PPA Guideline implementation occurred. Our study reports similar findings to a study conducted among a predominantly White population describing challenges with parent/caregiver adherence to the PPA Guidelines and delayed peanut product introduction ( >11 months of age).…”

Awareness of Food Allergies and Allergens on the Menus of Restaurants and Cafes among Saudi Female University Students

“…Studies in Iran [25] and Germany [13] have reported suboptimal levels of food allergy awareness among the study samples, while in contrast, some studies in Turkey [14,26] reported a moderate level of food allergy awareness. In a study examining differences in parent knowledge about pediatric food allergies [27], suboptimal FA knowledge among parents was reported. This may be due to the fact that parents can forget the information supplied by doctors, which leads to a lack of information application.…”