Caregivers of children with no food allergy-their experiences and perception of food allergy

Background: Food allergy (FA) is one of the most important health issues in schoolchildren. Although one of the most common places where pediatric anaphylaxis occurs is the home of a peer, the perception and experiences of caregivers who do not have a child with FA are unclear. Methods: An anonymous paper-based questionnaire was distributed to caregivers of FA children (FA caregivers) in the National Center for Child Health and Development and caregivers of non-FA children (non-FA caregivers) in public school in Tokyo. We examined the perception and experiences of FA among three groups: Group 1, non-FA caregiver who had not witnessed adverse reactions and near-miss events related to FA; Group 2, non-FA caregivers who had witnessed adverse reactions and near-miss events related to FA; and Group 3, caregivers who had a child with FA. Results: Epinephrine auto-injector was recognized by 43.6% non-FA caregivers. Only 2.8% of non-FA caregivers had experienced a child being bullied, harassed, or refused by a school because of FA. There were more caregivers in Group 2 who thought they could take the appropriate action if they witnessed a child with adverse response to causal food than in Group 1 (p < 0.05). All groups felt anxious over adverse events related to FA. Conclusion: The experiences and perception of FA were lacking among non-FA caregivers. Therefore, it is also important to provide FA education for non-FA caregivers to improve the quality of life of FA children.