J Nutr Health.  2018 Apr;51(2):140-152. 10.4163/jnh.2018.51.2.140.

Parental burden of food-allergic children's parents and influencing factors

• Lee E
• Kim K

• KMID: 2410314
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4163/jnh.2018.51.2.140

Abstract

PURPOSE
Recently, there has been a worldwide increase in the prevalence of food allergies in children and it may cause nutritional imbalance and poor quality of life for growing children due to dietary restrictions. This study was conducted to quantitatively measure the life burden and related factors of mothers who are the primary caretakers of food-allergic children. Moreover, we generated data for use as a scientific basis for the development of a disease management program to reduce the burden on life from raising food-allergic children.
METHODS
Mothers of 2,005 children aged 2 years or older and enrolled in Seoul Metropolitan Atopy Free Schools in 2016 who have had diagnosis of food allergy in their lifetime were surveyed. The burden on life of parents with food-allergic children was measured using 17 questions from the Food Allergy Quality of Life-Parental Burden (FAQL-PB) questionnaire, and subjects were asked to respond with a scale of 1 ~ 7.
RESULTS
We analyzed the effects of sociodemographic factors of parents and children and the accompanying allergic disease factors on the lives of parents. The number of restricted food items due to food allergy of a child and accompanying diagnosis of atopic dermatitis had a positive (+) effect on the life burden of the parents.
CONCLUSION
Accurate oral food challenge for food allergies should be administered to prevent excessive restriction of food intake. Moreover, efforts should be taken to prevent morbidity accompanying food allergy and relieve symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis.

Keyword

food allergy; food allergy quality of life-parental burden (FAQL-PB); quality of life; preschooler; school children

MeSH Terms

Asthma
Child
Dermatitis, Atopic
Diagnosis
Disease Management
Eating
Food Hypersensitivity
Humans
Mothers
Parents*
Prevalence
Quality of Life
Rhinitis, Allergic
Seoul

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