Mealtime behavior among parents and their young children with food allergy

Publication date: Available online 13 January 2017
Source:Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Author(s): Linda Jones Herbert, Priya Mehta, Hemant Sharma
BackgroundFood allergies are increasingly prevalent in the pediatric population. Balancing allergen avoidance with the promotion of healthy eating behaviors can be challenging for families.ObjectiveTo characterize mealtime behaviors among parents of young children with food allergy.MethodsSeventy-four parents of young children with food allergies (≤7 years of age) completed measures of mealtime behavior, perceptions of food allergy risk and severity, pediatric parenting stress, and food allergy–related quality of life. Mealtime behavior reports were compared with published data regarding typically developing children, young children with type 1 diabetes, and children with diagnosed feeding disorders (with or without related medical factors).ResultsParents of young children with food allergies reported frequent mealtime concerns. Specifically, they reported significantly more mealtime behavioral concerns than typically developing peers, comparable mealtime behavioral concerns to young children with type 1 diabetes, and significantly fewer mealtime behavioral concerns than children with diagnosed feeding disorders. Parental mealtime concerns were positively correlated with other parent perceptions of food allergy, such as risk of allergen exposure, illness-related parenting stress, and food allergy–related quality of life.ConclusionYoung children with food allergy and their parents are more likely to exhibit mealtime behavioral concerns than typically developing peers and their parents. Future research should investigate the effect of food allergies and maladaptive mealtime behaviors on children's nutrition to provide clinical guidelines for parents who may benefit from psychosocial and/or nutritional support.



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