Children's Perspectives on Food Allergy in Schools: A Qualitative Study.
Laura Y Feldman, Kaitlyn Merrill, Michael A Golding and 4 others
PMID 36217767WHAT IT FOUND
Children with food allergies relied on teachers and classmates to keep them safe but could not confirm what those adults knew.
Children without allergies had limited knowledge, and most wanted school-based education.
Key findings
01Children with food allergies relied on school staff and peers to help manage reactions, but many could not confirm whether current or substitute teachers knew their allergy or where their epinephrine autoinjector was.
02Children without food allergies had limited knowledge about reactions, and some said they would get a first aid kit or send the child to the office.
03Most participants wanted school-based food allergy education, but allergic children favoured classroom delivery (85.7%) and non-allergic children favoured assemblies (77.8%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included 16 children from one city, recruited through parents via social media and word of mouth, so it may not represent other schools or regions. Only children were interviewed; school officials and school policy documents were not included, so it does not show what school staff know or do. Interviews averaged 12 minutes, which may limit depth, especially with young children speaking to unfamiliar adults. Data collection occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, when families had competing priorities and children may have had different school experiences. It is a qualitative study of perspectives, not a test of a food allergy education program or of safety outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Funding was from the University of Manitoba.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that school allergy education prevents reactions or that teachers are unprepared. The study interviewed 16 children in one city and did not test an education program.