Children with Peanut Allergies and Caregivers’ Quality of Life

• In Event: Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Topic - Health, Growth, Injury

Abstract

A small but consistent body of research evidence suggests that beyond the pain and discomfort that children with peanut or other nut allergies undergo, anxiety is also experienced by the parents to whom their care is entrusted (Williams & Hankey, 2016). In this study, mothers of children with peanut allergies, recruited through word of mouth or via an allergy support website, were sent a survey that included questions on their child’s history of allergic reactions, epi-pen use, their concerns about their child eating away from home, and additional items regarding the impact of the allergy on friends and family members.
Forty-eight mothers completed the questionnaires on their sons (30) or daughters (18) who had been tested for allergies. Children ranged in age from 1year-3months to 11years-6 months, with an average age of 5years-7months at the time of the survey. The average age at which the child’s allergy was first confirmed was 2years-1month, with a range from 6months to 10years.
Twenty-seven questions were included and were rated on a 4-point scale of 0-Never, 1-Sometimes, 2-Often, and 3-Always. As a number of questions specifically addressed issues that were a source of worry to the mother, a rank ordering of these concerns was tabulated, from most to least worrisome. As the child “eating away from home” appeared to be the biggest worry, the data were explored to see what factors predicted higher scores on that item. Regression analysis was conducted to see which, if any, of the following variables was associated with that particular worry: Has your child ever have an allergic reaction? Your Child’s age when you learned s/he had the allergy? Does anyone else in the family have a peanut allergy? Do you worry about using the epi-pen on your child? Do you worry about someone else using the epi-pen? Do you worry about your child going to school? Does your child eat meals/snacks at school?
The results indicated that the strongest predictor of the high worry scores on “eating away from home” was the child’s age when the mothers learned their children had the peanut allergy. Specifically, the younger the child was, the more the mother worried. Not as strongly, but still predictive, were “someone else using the epi-pen” and “the child eating at school.” None of the other items related to the mothers’ worrying about their children eating away from home.
Not surprisingly perhaps, these results confirm previous research that indicates mothers seem to worry a great deal about their children with peanut allergies. Those whose children exhibited the sensitivity earlier in life appeared to worry the most. Fortunately, the possibility that they may have to administer the epi-pen themselves, while often a worry, seemed to be their least stressful consideration.

Authors

• Eliza Heberlein, Private Practice
  Non-Presenting Author

• John Worobey, Rutgers University - New Brunswick
  Presenting Author