Validation of the English Version of the Scale for Psychosocial Factors in Food Allergy and the Relationship with Mental Health, Quality of Life, and Self-Efficacy

Children at risk of anaphylaxis: A mixed-studies systematic review of parents' experiences and information needs

Objective

To explore parents' self-reported experiences and information needs regarding recognition and management of pediatric anaphylaxis.

Methods

We searched Ovid Medline, Ovid PsychInfo, CINAHL Plus, the Cochrane Library, and grey literature to identify primary studies in English or French published since 2000. We used a mixed-method appraisal tool and convergent integrated approach to assess quality and synthesize data, respectively.

Results

43 studies were included (22 quantitative, 19 qualitative, and 2 mixed-method); 77% of studies had high methodological quality. Parents' experiences were categorized as: recognizing an anaphylactic reaction; managing and responding to a reaction; emotional impact of caring for a child at risk of anaphylaxis; and interaction with the health system and healthcare providers. Parents' information needs were categorized into themes relating to: gaps in knowledge and information; type of information desired; information sources; and information delivery format.

Conclusion

Negative emotional experiences and a general lack of information were commonly reported by parents of included studies. Provision of relevant and comprehensible information may help parents to make informed decisions and manage reactions promptly.

Innovation

The findings of this review are guiding the development of an innovative knowledge translation tool (KT) as part of a larger initiative of developing a suite of parent-focused KT tools for acute childhood conditions.

Psychosocial and productivity impact of caring for a child with peanut allergy

Background

Limited previous research has assessed the psychosocial burden and productivity impact of caring for a child with peanut allergy and factors associated with burden. The objective of this research was to explore caregiver burden in terms of psychosocial and productivity impact of caring for a child with peanut allergy, the influence of caregiver and child gender on caregiver burden, and factors predicting caregiver burden in peanut allergy.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey of caregivers of children with peanut allergy was conducted in the United Kingdom, and included sociodemographic and clinical questions, EQ-5D, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Food Allergy Quality of Life-Parental Burden, Food Allergy Independent Measure, and productivity questions.

Results

One hundred caregivers (55% female) of children with peanut allergy (aged 4-15 years) completed the survey. Male and female caregivers reported mean levels of anxiety significantly higher than United Kingdom population norms. Caregivers of children with severe peanut allergy reported significant impacts on their careers and health-related quality of life. Neither caregiver nor child gender impacted burden, indicating that male and female caregivers are equally anxious and suffer the same level of negative career, productivity, and health-related quality-of-life impact due to their child's peanut allergy. Caregivers' perceived risk of outcomes related to their child's peanut allergy (e.g., death or severe reaction) as measured by the Food Allergy Independent Measure independently predicted burden.

Conclusions

Caregivers of children with peanut allergy in the United Kingdom experience health-related quality-of-life, psychosocial, and productivity burden; this study demonstrates the high levels of anxiety reported by both male and female caregivers.

Comparing the eating out experiences of consumers seeking to avoid different food allergens

Background

Eating outside the home is challenging for consumers with food allergy (FA) and intolerance (FI) and lack of allergen information provision in eating out venues can lead to unnecessary restrictions. Following European legislation (2014) designed to improve allergen information provision, little is known about differences in information provision experienced by consumers seeking to avoid particular allergens, or how this impacts on their eating out experiences. This study compared the information provision that consumers with FA/FI to different allergens experience when eating out.

Methods

Using mixed methods, participants were recruited from across the UK and took part in self-report surveys or in-depth interviews. Surveys were completed by 232 participants avoiding either gluten (n = 66), nuts (peanuts/tree nuts) (n = 94), or milk (n = 74), and responses were subject to quantitative analyses. Interviews were carried out with 49 participants avoiding either gluten (n = 13), nuts (n = 14), milk (n = 13) or a combination of these allergens (n = 9), and analysed using the framework approach.

Results

Although general improvements in information provision following the legislation were reported, variations in provision between allergen groups led participants seeking to avoid milk to conclude that their dietary needs were less well-understood and seen as less important. These perceptions were reflected in a reluctance to involve eating out venue staff in deliberations about the potential for milk-free meal options.

Conclusions

The provision of visual indicators of the presence of milk and of staff trained in allergen-awareness would improve the eating out experiences of consumers seeking to avoid milk. Medical professions can play a key role in encouraging these patients to pursue their right to make enquiries about allergens in order to avoid accidental milk ingestion when eating out.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-018-6117-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.