Abstract
The 2017 Addendum Guidelines for the Prevention of Peanut Allergy in the United States recommend that pediatricians assess infant peanut allergy risk and introduce peanut in the diet at age 4 to 6 months. Early introduction has the potential to prevent peanut allergy development. To measure the rates of guideline awareness and implementation and to identify barriers to and factors associated with implementation among US pediatricians. This population-based study survey used a 29-item electronic survey instrument that was administered to pediatricians practicing across the United States from June 1, 2018, to December 1, 2018. Invitations to complete a survey were emailed to all pediatricians in the American Academy of Pediatrics vendor database. Eligible participants were nonretired US-based pediatricians providing general care to infants aged 12 months or younger. The primary outcome was the prevalence of guideline implementation, which was measured by 1 survey item about awareness followed by a second item about implementation. Secondary outcomes included identification of guidelines-focused services provided by pediatricians, knowledge of the guidelines (measured with 3 clinical scenarios), barriers to guideline implementation, need for training, and facilitators of guideline implementation. A total of 1781 pediatricians were eligible to participate and completed the entire survey. Most respondents self-identified as white (1287 [72.5%]) and female (1210 [67.4%]) individuals. Overall, 1725 (93.4%; 95% CI, 92.2%-94.5%) pediatricians reported being aware of the guidelines. Of those pediatricians who had knowledge of the guidelines, 497 (28.9%; 95% CI, 26.8%-31.1%) reported full implementation and 1105 (64.3%; 95% CI, 62.0%-66.6%) reported partial implementation. Common barriers to implementation included parental concerns about allergic reactions (reported by 575 respondents [36.6%; 95% CI, 34.3%-39.1%]), uncertainty in understanding and correctly applying the guidelines (reported by 521 respondents [33.2%; 95% CI, 30.9%-35.6%]), and conducting in-office supervised feedings (reported by 509 respondents [32.4%; 95% CI, 30.1%-34.8%]). Many pediatricians (1175 [68.4%; 95% CI, 66.1%-70.5%]) reported a need for further training on the guidelines. This survey found that most pediatrician respondents appeared to know of the 2017 guidelines, but less than one-third of respondents reported full implementation. Results of this study may inform future efforts to eliminate barriers to guideline implementation and adherence, thereby reducing the incidence of peanut allergy in infants.
Highlights
Food allergy affects approximately 8% of children in the United States[1] and is an increasing public health concern.[2]
1725 (93.4%; 95% CI, 92.2%-94.5%) pediatricians reported being aware of the guidelines
This survey found that most pediatrician respondents appeared to know of the 2017 guidelines, but less than one-third of respondents reported full implementation
Summary
Food allergy affects approximately 8% of children in the United States[1] and is an increasing public health concern.[2] The most common pediatric food allergy is peanut allergy, which has been reported in 2.2% of US children,[1] is the least frequently outgrown among food allergies,[3] and is often associated with severe reactions.[4] In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released recommendations to delay the introduction of peanut to the diet until the child is aged 3 years.[5] In 2008, the AAP published a clinical report demonstrating the lack of convincing evidence for delaying the introduction of peanut, but it did not provide further guidance.[6,7,8]. Recommendation 3 is that infants with no eczema or food allergy may consume peanut when age appropriate, in accordance with family preference and cultural practices.[10]
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