Abstract
BackgroundAllergic diseases in infants have dramatically increased in developed countries during the past few decades. To date, extensive research has been done on risk factors for allergies in infancy, and preventive measures against them. However, the effect of the primary approach to preventing infantile allergy is still limited.The aim of this trial is to evaluate whether prenatal education interventions, including the latest public research results on allergic diseases, prevent the onset of infant allergies.Methods/designWe designed a randomized controlled, two-arm (standard prenatal education vs our education), parallel-group, assessor-blind trial. A sample of 120 pregnant women will be recruited at Chiba Aiyu-kai Kinen Hospital and allocation is by computer-generated randomization.Pregnant women in the intervention arm participate in the childbirth education program established by the specialist and a pediatric allergy educator. The program was developed based on evidences supporting interventions on primary prevention, which are suggested to be beneficial to infantile allergies in recent studies.The primary objective of the study is to determine whether it is possible to establish effective behaviors for allergy prevention in early infancy in the children of pregnant women who participate in an educational program developed by pediatric allergy specialists. Four months after birth, their behaviors will be compared against those of pregnant women who did not participate in the program.DiscussionAllergies are common in many individuals worldwide, and can be present from babyhood through the person’s lifetime. One of the strong points of this study is that it should provide pregnant women with accumulated information on preventive knowledge against allergy, that can be effective in some cases, and that women can apply a combination of these behaviors before and after pregnancy. The results of our program will be publicized to help change the behaviors of mothers, and, if the program is effective, for preventing allergies in infants, it will be disclosed worldwide as a new preventive strategy for allergy in infants.Trial registrationUMIN-CTR, ID: UMIN000034730 Retrospectively registered on 1 December 2018.
Highlights
In Japan, as in most developed countries, the prevalence of allergy, including atopic dermatitis (AD), food allergy (FA), asthma, and allergic rhinitis, among infants has increased in recent years and is a serious health problem [1]
The results of our program will be publicized to help change the behaviors of mothers, and, if the program is effective, for preventing allergies in infants, it will be disclosed worldwide as a new preventive strategy for allergy in infants
The “allergic march,” which was first proposed by Minoru Baba, and refers to the chain reaction of allergies in people predisposed to atopic dermatitis [2, 3], has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years, and it has been suggested that preventative measures during the neonatal and early infancy period could be effective against this condition
Summary
In Japan, as in most developed countries, the prevalence of allergy, including atopic dermatitis (AD), food allergy (FA), asthma, and allergic rhinitis, among infants has increased in recent years and is a serious health problem [1]. The “allergic march,” which was first proposed by Minoru Baba, and refers to the chain reaction of allergies in people predisposed to atopic dermatitis [2, 3], has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years, and it has been suggested that preventative measures during the neonatal and early infancy period could be effective against this condition. Extensive research has been conducted on the risk factors for, and preventative measures against, allergy during infancy. The effect of the primary approach to preventing infantile allergy is still limited The aim of this trial is to evaluate whether prenatal education interventions, including the latest public research results on allergic diseases, prevent the onset of infant allergies
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