PARENTAL KNOWLEDGE OF FOOD ALLERGY

Background: Studies in Western countries and some parts of Africa indicate that food allergy prevalence is increasing globally. For allergen-induced illness, avoiding the triggers is the mainstay of treatment and prevention. Unnecessarily withdrawing suspected protein-rich foods from children's diets may lead to malnutrition and related complications. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and misconceptions about food allergy among parents. Methods: This was a descriptive, mixed cross-sectional study and the design was explanatory sequential. Self-administered questionnaires and focus-group discussions were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data respectively. Results: The majority of parents had poor knowledge scores, with an average of 49.14%. There were misconceptions about the aetiological mechanisms of food allergy, risk factors and the effects on the affected children's diets. The demographic factors of parents were not associated with knowledge scores. Conclusion: Most parents had poor knowledge irrespective of their level of education, age, gender and having a child with a food allergy.