Systematic Food Allergy Educational Resource Evaluation by Caregivers of Children with Food Allergy

Abstract

Food allergy (FA) management impacts the daily life of children and their caregivers. Parental FA knowledge is poor at diagnosis, and current available educational resources have not been systematically evaluated for quality amongst families. We assessed available FA educational resources in print form in order to formulate an efficient packet of materials for the newly diagnosed FA family. Seven caregivers of children with FA who served as mentors in a tertiary pediatric allergy clinic evaluated a binder of 52 commonly used FA resources via the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Printable Materials [PEMAT-P]. Resources fell into 9 categories, ranging from FA basics to managing allergic reactions to the psychosocial impact of FAs. The PEMAT-P is a 26-item measure that has two subscales: understandability and actionability. Items are rated as ‘yes=1’ or ‘no=0’; each subscale score is summed with higher scores indicating greater understandability/actionability. Understandability scores ranged from 62% to 100% (M=88%; SD=10%). Actionability scores ranged from 0% to 100% (M=76%; SD=19%). Five resources, including anaphylaxis emergency care, received perfect PEMAT-P scores. Four resources scored below 70% for understandability, and 14 scored below 70% for actionability. The lowest ratings were given to resources about primary prevention of FA. This study used parent mentors to evaluate currently available FA resources and found inconsistent quality among resource topics. Resources in domains such as emergency anaphylactic care are well understood and can be acted upon, but understandable and actionable resources regarding the primary prevention of FA need to be developed.