Exploring Food Allergy Knowledge Among Parents: Insights and Implications

Credit: Adobe Stock/Antonina Trushina

A cross-sectional survey revealed that higher food allergy knowledge was linked to having a child with food allergies, comorbid conditions like asthma or eczema, higher education and income, and frequent discussions with healthcare professionals.

Common symptoms of food allergies— an immune response to eating a particular food—include flushing, itching and urticaria and can also manifest as gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and central nervous system symptoms. In more serious cases, exposure to allergens can lead to anaphylaxis, which occurs shortly after exposure and is potentially life threatening.

“Given the nature of food allergy as a health condition that is accompanied by a constant possibility of a fatal yet avoidable event, rectifying parental knowledge gaps is crucial for improving food allergy management and alleviating associated stress,” wrote a team of investigators led by Sari Taha, MD, a researcher associated with the An-Najah Global Health Institute (GHI) at An-Najah National University in Palestine. “The knowledge gaps, perceptions, and attitudes among parents with food allergies should first be identified and quantified to inform policymaking and interventions to address these gaps, enhance health literacy, and improve health outcomes in patients with food allergies.”

This single-center study explored parental knowledge and attitudes about food allergies in children using a cohort of parents attending a primary healthcare center. Participants completed a questionnaire, and their knowledge scores were calculated, with a maximum score of 15 points. Any associations between this score and other variables were calculated.

The questionnaire also collected data about demographic, socioeconomic and personal characteristics of both parents and children. Investigators also sought to gather information about related comorbidities and the types of allergens, the number of times food allergies were discussed with a provider in the last 12 months, the severity of reactions, the number of emergency room visits and if the food allergy was diagnosed by a doctor.

In total, 381 parents of minor children participated in the study and most respondents were mothers (71.9%). The prevalence of food allergies was 14.22%. Approximately one-third (32.8%) of respondents had children with at least one type of food allergy and most of these children (75.3%) were clinically diagnosed.

The median knowledge score was seven out of 15. Most (65.4%) parents obtained information online, with many feeling that food allergy causes family stress (76.1%) and impacts the daily lives of their siblings (66.7%). Most (65.9%) reported minor allergy-related reactions. They also overwhelmingly (92.9%) encouraged governmental spending on food allergy research. The findings indicate the need for better educational interventions for parents that combine emotional support, medical facts and management skills to both increase their knowledge and reduce allergy-associated stress.

Parents with higher knowledge scores were more likely to have a child with food allergies, preferred to get their information from professionals, had a higher education and income, and had comorbid asthma or eczema. The number of discussions with a healthcare provider regarding food allergy was significantly linked to a higher knowledge score.

Only a small number of parents viewed food allergies as stigmatizing.

Some limitations of the study included generalizability issues due to sampling constraints, such as only including parents attending a singular primary healthcare center. This population, which may be more health literate and exhibit more health-seeking behaviors, might differ from the general population. Further limiting the generalizability was the inclusion of mostly female, married parents.

“Adequate knowledge about the prompt management and nature of food allergies can help parents of children with food allergies improve their children’s well-being and reduce the ensuing stress,” investigators concluded.