Use of GFCF Diets in Children with ASD. An Investigation into Parents' Beliefs Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour.
Rachel E F Marsden, John Francis, Iain Garner
PMID 31165958WHAT IT FOUND
Parents' belief that a gluten-free, casein-free diet helps autism symptoms predicted their intention to use it.
Fear of regretting not trying it was the only factor predicting high intention. Parents who had already stopped using the diet still scored low on intention.
Key findings
01Belief that diet causes autism was the only causal factor significantly associated with higher intentions to use GFCF diets.
02Anticipated regret was the only TPB variable significantly predicting higher intentions to use the diet in regression analysis.
03Parents who had used GFCF diets in the past or currently used them did not differ significantly from non-users in intention scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Very small sample size (33 parents). Cross-sectional design cannot prove causation. Self-reported data with potential social desirability bias. The group labeled 'users' included those who had stopped using the diet, which may have diluted intention scores.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the association between diet beliefs and intention as evidence that GFCF diets are effective for autism. This study reports on parents' beliefs and intentions, not clinical outcomes.