The Impact of Food Allergy on the Daily Activities of Children and Their Families

Background: Food allergy affects a significant number of children, and its management requires considerable time and vigilance.

Objective: To determine the impact of food allergy on the daily activities of food allergic children and their families.

Methods: Caregivers of food allergic children from a university-based allergy practice completed a questionnaire that evaluated their perception of the impact of their child's food allergy on family activities.

Results: Of the 87 families who completed the study, more than 60% of caregivers reported that food allergy significantly affected meal preparation and 49% or more indicated that food allergy affected family social activities. Forty-one percent of parents reported a significant impact on their stress levels and 34% reported that food allergy had an impact on school attendance, with 10% choosing to home school their children because of food allergy. The number of food allergies had a significant impact on activity scores, but the existence of comorbid conditions such as asthma and atopic dermatitis did not significantly affect the results.

Conclusions: Food allergy has a significant effect on activities of families of food allergic children. Further study is needed to determine more detailed effects of food allergy on parent-child interactions and development.