Are Caregivers Adequately Prepared to Manage Food Allergies?


TOPLINE:

Caregivers of children and teens with food allergies may have significant gaps in their knowledge and preparedness to manage the condition, a survey showed. Their ability to recognize and treat anaphylaxis may be limited.

METHODOLOGY:

  • Researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey via the SurveyMonkey platform from December 2024 to April 2025, yielding 129 responses from caregivers of children and adolescents with food allergies (age range, 0-18 years) evaluated at the pediatric allergy outpatient services of two university hospitals in Italy.
  • Respondents completed a structured questionnaire assessing their self-perceived knowledge, ability to recognize allergic symptoms, preventive behaviors, and emergency preparedness.

TAKEAWAY:

  • Only 9.3% of caregivers reported being very informed about managing their child’s food allergy, whereas 13.2% considered themselves not informed at all.
  • Just 16% said they were familiar with all food-allergy symptoms, whereas 14% said they didn’t know any.
  • About a quarter of caregivers reported being able to distinguish between mild allergic reactions and severe reactions such as anaphylaxis, and 19.4% reported knowing exactly how to respond to anaphylaxis, including the proper use of an epinephrine auto-injector and when to contact emergency services.
  • Only 11.6% of caregivers reported always having an epinephrine auto-injector on hand, even though it is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis.

IN PRACTICE:

“Integrating structured parental education into routine clinical care may enhance long-term outcomes and reduce the risk of severe allergic reactions,” the authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE:

Sara Manti, MD, PhD, with the University of Messina, Messina, Italy, was the corresponding author of the study, which was published online on July 22 in Nutrients.

LIMITATIONS:

The cross-sectional design and self-reported nature of the survey may have introduced bias. Some patients had not yet been prescribed an epinephrine auto-injector at the time of enrollment.

DISCLOSURES:

The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.



Source link : https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/are-caregivers-adequately-prepared-manage-food-allergies-2025a1000khn?src=rss

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Publish date : 2025-08-01 09:48:00

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