Table 2.
Food allergy-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among caregivers of Black and White children with food allergy
| Food Allergy Knowledge Survey,a,b n (%) | White (n = 251) |
Black (n = 110) |
Total (n = 361) |
p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Food labels that have warnings such as ”may contain” or “manufactured in” are required by law. | <0.001 | |||
| Correct (False) | 82 (32.7%) | 7 (6.4%) | 89 (24.7%) | |
| Incorrect | 121 (48.2%) | 87 (79.1%) | 208 (57.6%) | |
| Do not know | 48 (19.1%) | 16 (14.5%) | 64 (17.7%) | |
| 2. If you are worried that your child is having a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), you should give him/her antihistamine (Benadryl) immediately. | <0.001 | |||
| Correct (False) | 148 (59.0%) | 29 (26.4%) | 177 (49.0%) | |
| Incorrect | 97 (38.6%) | 76 (69.1%) | 173 (47.9%) | |
| Do not know | 6 (2.4%) | 5 (4.5%) | 11 (3.0%) | |
| 3. Eczema (a condition that makes your skin red and itchy) puts you at higher risk for a food allergy. | <0.001 | |||
| Correct (True) | 192 (76.5%) | 56 (50.9%) | 248 (68.7%) | |
| Incorrect | 25 (10.0%) | 24 (21.8%) | 49 (13.6%) | |
| Do not know | 34 (13.5%) | 30 (27.3%) | 64 (17.7%) | |
| 4. The higher your blood test to a specific food, the more severe your reaction will be to that food. | <0.001 | |||
| Correct (False) | 132 (52.6%) | 17 (15.5%) | 149 (41.3%) | |
| Incorrect | 90 (35.9%) | 70 (63.6%) | 160 (44.3%) | |
| Do not know | 29 (11.6%) | 23 (20.9%) | 52 (14.4%) | |
| 5. Asthma is an important risk factor for severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). | 0.74 | |||
| Correct (True) | 177 (70.5%) | 76 (69.1%) | 253 (70.1%) | |
| Incorrect | 19 (7.6%) | 11 (10.0%) | 30 (8.3%) | |
| Do not know | 55 (21.9%) | 23 (20.9%) | 78 (21.6%) | |
| 6. Teenagers are at higher risk for a fatal food allergy reaction compared to younger children. | <0.001 | |||
| Correct (True) | 82 (32.7%) | 10 (9.1%) | 92 (25.5%) | |
| Incorrect | 61 (24.3%) | 55 (50.0%) | 116 (32.1%) | |
| Do not know | 108 (43.0%) | 45 (40.9%) | 153 (42.4%) | |
| 7. Taking a daily antihistamine can prevent food allergy reactions. | 0.002 | |||
| Correct (False) | 178 (70.9%) | 68 (61.8%) | 246 (68.1%) | |
| Incorrect | 18 (7.2%) | 22 (20.0%) | 40 (11.1%) | |
| Do not know | 55 (21.9%) | 20 (18.2%) | 75 (20.8%) | |
| 8. During an oral food challenge, children eat the food that they have been avoiding in order to see if they are still allergic. | <0.001 | |||
| Correct (True) | 235 (93.6%) | 75 (68.2%) | 310 (85.9%) | |
| Incorrect | 9 (3.6%) | 20 (18.2%) | 29 (8.0%) | |
| Do not know | 7 (2.8%) | 15 (13.6%) | 22 (6.1%) | |
| 9. The best way to diagnose a food allergy is with a skin prick test. | <0.001 | |||
| Correct (False) | 130 (51.8%) | 22 (20.0%) | 152 (42.1%) | |
| Incorrect | 73 (29.1%) | 74 (67.3%) | 147 (40.7%) | |
| Do not know | 48 (19.1%) | 14 (12.7%) | 62 (17.2%) | |
| 10. It is recommended to call 911 after using an epinephrine auto-injector. | 0.025 | |||
| Correct (True) | 244 (97.2%) | 100 (90.9%) | 344 (95.3%) | |
| Incorrect | 6 (2.4%) | 7 (6.4%) | 13 (3.6%) | |
| Do not know | 1 (0.4%) | 3 (2.7%) | 4 (1.1%) | |
| 11.The most common food allergens are milk, eggs, peanuts, treenut, fish, soy, shellfish and wheat. These foods are called the top 8 food allergens. If a food contains one of the top 8 food allergens, then it is required by law to be clearly labeled. | 0.83 | |||
| Correct (True) | 218 (86.9%) | 98 (89.1%) | 316 (87.5%) | |
| Incorrect | 9 (3.6%) | 3 (2.7%) | 12 (3.3%) | |
| Do not know | 24 (9.6%) | 9 (8.2%) | 33 (9.1%) | |
| 12. Lactose intolerance and milk allergy are the same thing. | <0.001 | |||
| Correct (False) | 225 (89.6%) | 60 (54.5%) | 285 (78.9%) | |
| Incorrect | 8 (3.2%) | 28 (25.5%) | 36 (10.0%) | |
| Do not know | 18 (7.2%) | 22 (20.0%) | 40 (11.1%) | |
| 13. If you have eaten at a restaurant before, you do not need to ask about the ingredients the next time you eat there. | <0.001 | |||
| Correct (False) | 238 (94.8%) | 92 (83.6%) | 330 (91.4%) | |
| Incorrect | 8 (3.2%) | 15 (13.6%) | 23 (6.4%) | |
| Do not know | 5 (2.0%) | 3 (2.7%) | 8 (2.2%) | |
| 14. Clothing must be removed in order to use an epinephrine auto-injector. | <0.001 | |||
| Correct (False) | 206 (82.1%) | 69 (62.7%) | 275 (76.2%) | |
| Incorrect | 36 (14.3%) | 33 (30.0%) | 69 (19.1%) | |
| Do not know | 9 (3.6%) | 8 (7.3%) | 17 (4.7%) | |
| 15. Where is the best place to use an epinephrine auto-injector (Epi-Pen, Auvi-Q, Adrenaclick, generic)? | 0.64 | |||
| Correct (Outer Thigh) | 248 (98.8%) | 108 (98.2%) | 356 (98.6%) | |
| Incorrect | 3 (1.2%) | 2 (1.8%) | 5 (1.4%) | |
| 16. A boy with a milk allergy accidentally drank some milk. Please mark which of the following could be a sign of a food allergy reaction. Mark all that apply. | <0.001 | |||
| Correct (After 10 minutes, he has hives on his face and chest and vomits. Immediately his tongue swells and he has trouble breathing.) | 179 (71.3%) | 57 (51.8%) | 236 (65.4%) | |
| Incorrect | 72 (28.7%) | 53 (48.2%) | 125 (34.6%) | |
| Total Food Allergy Scorec, mean (SD) | ||||
| 11.6 (2.6) | 8.6 (2.3) | 10.7 (2.9) | < 0.001 | |
| Food-Allergy Related Attitudesb, n (%) | ||||
| Parental anxiety about purchasing habits causing allergic reaction in child with FA | 0.054 | |||
| No | 137 (54.6%) | 72 (65.5%) | 209 (57.9%) | |
| Yes | 114 (45.4%) | 38 (34.5%) | 152 (42.1%) | |
| Parental anxiety about child with FA having allergic reaction due to eating food prepared outside home | 0.004 | |||
| No | 67 (26.7%) | 46 (41.8%) | 113 (31.3%) | |
| Yes | 184 (73.3%) | 64 (58.2%) | 248 (68.7%) | |
| Food-Allergy Related Behaviorsb, n (%) | ||||
| Frequency of parental purchase of food item for child with food allergy when item label contains: | 0.008 | |||
| Never | 223 (88.8%) | 86 (78.2%) | 309 (85.6%) | |
| Sometimes/Always | 28 (11.2%) | 24 (21.8%) | 52 (14.4%) | |
| Manufactured in a facility that also processes the allergen | 0.002 | |||
| Never | 60 (23.9%) | 44 (40.0%) | 104 (28.8%) | |
| Sometimes/Always | 191 (76.1%) | 66 (60.0%) | 257 (71.2%) | |
| Manufactured on same equipment that also processes allergen | 0.16 | |||
| Never | 128 (51.0%) | 65 (59.1%) | 193 (53.5%) | |
| Sometimes/Always | 123 (49.0%) | 45 (40.9%) | 168 (46.5%) | |
| Online purchase of allergen free foods for child with FA | <0.001 | |||
| No | 157 (62.5%) | 97 (88.2%) | 254 (70.4%) | |
| Yes | 94 (37.5%) | 13 (11.8%) | 107 (29.6%) | |
| Child with food allergy eats food prepared outside of the home | 0.21 | |||
| No | 39 (15.5%) | 23 (20.9%) | 62 (17.2%) | |
| Yes | 212 (84.5%) | 87 (79.1%) | 299 (82.8%) | |
| Child with food allergy eats lunch/food prepared by school | <0.001 | |||
| No | 152 (60.6%) | 40 (36.4%) | 192 (53.2%) | |
| Yes | 99 (39.4%) | 70 (63.6%) | 169 (46.8%) |
a
Items 3,5,6,7,15,16 of the Food Allergy Knowledge survey instrument were taken from the Chicago Food Allergy Research Surveys 6,12
b
P values represent the statistical significance of chi-square tests of independence between survey item categories and race (White/Black)
c
P values represent the statistical significance of independent sample t-tests of mean food allergy-related knowledge score by race (White/Black).