Development of Public Information Campaign Fact Sheets on Food Allergies
William K. Hallman, Carol Byrd‐Bredbenner, Jaclyn Maurer, P. Policastro, D Kinney · Epidemiology · 2008
ISEE-868 Objective: Food allergies (FAs)—a serious and sometimes fatal problem—affect millions, worldwide and the incidence is rising. Increasingly children's caregivers (CCs) (eg, parents, teachers, coaches, babysitters) are faced with the responsibility of supervising eating experiences with children who have FAs. Little research has addressed FA knowledge and practices of CCs and few educational materials are available. Therefore, the “Ask Before You Eat” public information campaign was mandated in New Jersey to inform residents about FAs and how to avoid triggering reactions. Material and Methods: The development of the campaign materials was guided by key informant interviews with food and health experts (n = 25) and CCs (n = 32). Interviews with CCs assessed the following: knowledge of FAs; how CCs would supervise children with FAs in eating situations; importance CCs placed on knowing how to prevent triggering FA reactions; and desired FA information delivery format (eg, layout, tone, language). Results: Experts and CCs both identified fact sheets as preferred educational materials. Four fact sheets were developed for parents of children with FAs, CCs other than parents, and the public at large. Fact sheet themes were the following: Taking Care of Children with FAs, Creating a FA Action Plan for Childcare Providers, Eating Out with FAs, and What Everyone Should Know about FAs. Follow-up key informant interviews conducted with CC (n = 26) revealed that, on a 5-point Likert Scale, fact sheets were very readable (4.8 ± 0.3 SD), comprehensive (4.6 ± 0.5 SD), relevant (4.8 ± 0.5 SD), and useful (4.6 ± 0.5 SD). The fact sheets were distributed as part of the statewide “Ask Before You Eat” campaign, which significantly increased FA knowledge (P < 0.05) of the public. Conclusions: Educating the public, particularly CCs, can help raise awareness about food allergies and help arm people with the knowledge to reduce the risk for triggering an allergic reaction in a child with a food allergy.