Survey on the parental awareness of pediatric food allergies
Objective To investigate the parents'awareness of pediatric food allergies and to provide a basis for clinical management of food allergy in children.Methods A questionnaire designed for pediatric food allergies consisted of a total of 37 single-choice and multiple-choice questions,including etiology,symptom recognition,diagnosis and clinical management.The questionnaires were distributed to parents online using QR codes in November 2021 and May 2022.After collecting the completed questionnaires,they were organized by designated personnel for statistical analysis.Results A total of 505 valid questionnaires were collected.Regarding symptom recognition,the selection rates for symptoms such as eczema,urticaria,difficulty breathing,eye/nose rubbing,vomiting,diarrhea,mucous stool,and delayed growth exceeded half,with the highest reaching 79.41％.The selection rates such as perianal rash,reflux,and aversion to food were relatively low(33.47％to 35.45％).Over half of the respondents understood the specific contents of common highly allergenic foods,and over 90.00％knew that seafood,milk,and eggs are common allergenic foods.In the selection of factors triggering food allergies,the selection rates for early introduction of complementary foods and the use of antibiotics exceeded 45.00％,while 20.99％chose delayed introduction of complementary foods.In food allergy diagnosis,the selection rates for skin prick tests,serum-specific IgE,and food avoidance-provocation tests were 54.46％,74.65％and 71.49％,respectively.However,67.92％and 35.84％still chose increased serum-specific IgG and peripheral blood eosinophilia.In dietary management,the accuracy rates for choosing alternative formulas,selecting formula powders for breastfeeding,and timing of complementary food introduction exceeded half,with the highest reaching 83.37％.The age and education level of the surveyed participants did not affect the pass rates of the questionnaire(P＞0.05).Respondents with a personal or family history of food allergies had higher accuracy in answering questions related to the identification of common allergenic foods and clinical management of allergies.However,their accuracy in answering questions related to symptom recognition in reverse was lower,with statistically significant differences(x2 values ranged from 4.48 to 42.80,P＜0.05).Conclusion Parents have a good understanding of symptom recognition,diagnosis,and clinical management of pediatric food allergies.However,there is room for improvement in areas such as IgG testing and duration of low-allergen formulas.Excessive diagnosis and dietary restrictions should be avoided to prevent adverse effects on the growth and development of children.
万方数据
维普
