Food allergy knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of kindergarten teachers in Kuwait: a cross-sectional study
Background Food allergy (FA) affects up to 10% of children globally, with clinical symptoms varying from mild to severe, and in rare instances, it is life-threatening. Approximately one in five children with FA experience a food-induced allergic reaction in school, leaving teachers as the first line...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMJ Publishing Group
2023-12-01
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| Series: | BMJ Paediatrics Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/7/1/e001795.full |
| _version_ | 1797367883521589248 |
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| author | Ali H Ziyab Latifah Madooh Shaikhah Allahou Haya Alshallal Fatemah Alkazemi Dina Alyaseen Farah Allahow Shahad Alsattam Abdullah Al-Majran |
| author_facet | Ali H Ziyab Latifah Madooh Shaikhah Allahou Haya Alshallal Fatemah Alkazemi Dina Alyaseen Farah Allahow Shahad Alsattam Abdullah Al-Majran |
| author_sort | Ali H Ziyab |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Food allergy (FA) affects up to 10% of children globally, with clinical symptoms varying from mild to severe, and in rare instances, it is life-threatening. Approximately one in five children with FA experience a food-induced allergic reaction in school, leaving teachers as the first line of intervention. This study aimed to assess kindergarten teachers’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding FA.Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled kindergarten teachers in Kuwait using stratified cluster sampling. The Chicago Food Allergy Research Survey for the General Public was used to assess teachers’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding FA. The overall FA knowledge score was calculated for each participant. The χ2 test was used to assess the differences in the distribution of categorical variables.Results Responses were obtained from 882 public kindergarten teachers from 63 kindergartens. Most teachers (81.9%) encountered students with FA in their classrooms. Only 13.5% of the teachers reported receiving training in FA. Overall, participants scored an average of 52.2% on the FA knowledge assessment, with participants receiving prior training in FA scoring on average higher than those with no prior training in FA (55.9% vs 51.6%, p=0.005). A few teachers (10.7%) were aware that lactose intolerance was not equivalent to milk allergy. In terms of attitudes regarding FA, only 14.9% of the participants acknowledged that children with FA are teased/stigmatised due to their condition, and 33.7% recognised that avoidance of allergenic food is difficult. Moreover, only 9.9% of the teachers self-reported their ability to use an epinephrine autoinjector.Conclusions Improved knowledge and awareness of FA among public kindergarten teachers in Kuwait are needed to ensure the safety of children with FA in schools. Teachers should be trained to prevent, recognise and manage FA-related allergic reactions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T17:24:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-375fa9e5d93f49b9a8985a4d36a24e9f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2399-9772 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T17:24:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Paediatrics Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-375fa9e5d93f49b9a8985a4d36a24e9f2024-01-02T23:00:08ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Paediatrics Open2399-97722023-12-017110.1136/bmjpo-2022-001795Food allergy knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of kindergarten teachers in Kuwait: a cross-sectional studyAli H Ziyab0Latifah Madooh1Shaikhah Allahou2Haya Alshallal3Fatemah Alkazemi4Dina Alyaseen5Farah Allahow6Shahad Alsattam7Abdullah Al-Majran8Department of Community Medicine and Behavioral Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait, KuwaitDepartment of Community Medicine and Behavioral Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait, KuwaitDepartment of Community Medicine and Behavioral Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait, KuwaitDepartment of Community Medicine and Behavioral Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait, KuwaitDepartment of Community Medicine and Behavioral Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait, KuwaitDepartment of Community Medicine and Behavioral Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait, KuwaitDepartment of Community Medicine and Behavioral Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait, KuwaitDepartment of Community Medicine and Behavioral Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait, KuwaitDepartment of Community Medicine and Behavioral Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait, KuwaitBackground Food allergy (FA) affects up to 10% of children globally, with clinical symptoms varying from mild to severe, and in rare instances, it is life-threatening. Approximately one in five children with FA experience a food-induced allergic reaction in school, leaving teachers as the first line of intervention. This study aimed to assess kindergarten teachers’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding FA.Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled kindergarten teachers in Kuwait using stratified cluster sampling. The Chicago Food Allergy Research Survey for the General Public was used to assess teachers’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding FA. The overall FA knowledge score was calculated for each participant. The χ2 test was used to assess the differences in the distribution of categorical variables.Results Responses were obtained from 882 public kindergarten teachers from 63 kindergartens. Most teachers (81.9%) encountered students with FA in their classrooms. Only 13.5% of the teachers reported receiving training in FA. Overall, participants scored an average of 52.2% on the FA knowledge assessment, with participants receiving prior training in FA scoring on average higher than those with no prior training in FA (55.9% vs 51.6%, p=0.005). A few teachers (10.7%) were aware that lactose intolerance was not equivalent to milk allergy. In terms of attitudes regarding FA, only 14.9% of the participants acknowledged that children with FA are teased/stigmatised due to their condition, and 33.7% recognised that avoidance of allergenic food is difficult. Moreover, only 9.9% of the teachers self-reported their ability to use an epinephrine autoinjector.Conclusions Improved knowledge and awareness of FA among public kindergarten teachers in Kuwait are needed to ensure the safety of children with FA in schools. Teachers should be trained to prevent, recognise and manage FA-related allergic reactions.https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/7/1/e001795.full |
| spellingShingle | Ali H Ziyab Latifah Madooh Shaikhah Allahou Haya Alshallal Fatemah Alkazemi Dina Alyaseen Farah Allahow Shahad Alsattam Abdullah Al-Majran Food allergy knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of kindergarten teachers in Kuwait: a cross-sectional study BMJ Paediatrics Open |
| title | Food allergy knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of kindergarten teachers in Kuwait: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full | Food allergy knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of kindergarten teachers in Kuwait: a cross-sectional study |
| title_fullStr | Food allergy knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of kindergarten teachers in Kuwait: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Food allergy knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of kindergarten teachers in Kuwait: a cross-sectional study |
| title_short | Food allergy knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of kindergarten teachers in Kuwait: a cross-sectional study |
| title_sort | food allergy knowledge attitudes and beliefs of kindergarten teachers in kuwait a cross sectional study |
| url | https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/7/1/e001795.full |
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