Parental perceptions of food allergy : Quantitative assessment of food allergy perceptions in parents of children referred for allergy testing

Schussel, C.A. (Camilla) (2016) Parental perceptions of food allergy : Quantitative assessment of food allergy perceptions in parents of children referred for allergy testing. thesis, Medicine.

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Abstract

Title: ‘’Parental perceptions of food allergy: a quantitative research of parents children referred to allergy testing’’ Introduction: 1 out of 10 parents perceive their child to be food allergic while the true prevalence is between 0,1 -6%. The aim of the study was to explore parental perceptions of food allergy, as to contribute to a better understanding of why so many parents incorrectly suspect their child of having a food allergy. Design: Cross-sectional questionnaire study Methods: Parents of children who were referred to the Isala hospital in Zwolle, Netherlands outpatient laboratory clinic for blood allergy testing for food allergens or underwent a double blind placebo controlled food challenge at the pediatric department in 2015/2016 completed the validated Dutch version of the Chicago Food Allergy Research Survey. Clinical data were collected from the children’s hospital charts. Results: A total of 46 patients completed the questionnaire. Median (range) age of the children was 5,4 (0-17) years. Overall, the parental knowledge of food allergy was poor, with a median of 13/21 (62 %) questions answered correctly. The parental lack of knowledge comprised all domains of food allergy: definition, diagnosis, symptomatology, natural history and treatment. The parental understanding of food allergy was largely based on personal judgment and information from self-selected websites, instead of reliable information from healthcare professionals. Conclusion: Parents who suspect their child of food allergy show considerable knowledge gaps on all domains of food allergy. These results call for considerable improvement in the provision of reliable, scientifically correct information about food allergy to parents of young children.

Item Type:	Thesis (Thesis)
Supervisor name:	Department of Pediatrics and Isala Hospital, Zwolle and Supervisor: and Brand, Prof. Dr. P.
Faculty:	Medical Sciences
Date Deposited:	25 Jun 2020 10:54
Last Modified:	25 Jun 2020 10:54
URI:	https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/1443

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