Multifaceted Food Allergy Education Program

Severe food allergies impact the health of nearly 7 million Americans, whom must avoid exposure when selecting food for home and the food service environments. This project will enhance the ability of the consumer, restaurant industry, and physicians in preventing life threatening food allergies.
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CONSUMER EDUCATION: Will recruit 100 adults and adolescents in CA and NY (200 total) with severe allergies, conduct individual face-to-face interviews, and identify attitude/behavior patterns associated with appropriate/inadequate compliance with recommended practices. Give all participants at the Year 1 interview a current handout on food allergy (Fact Sheet: Food Allergy and Intolerances) and referral service listing (Am. Acad. Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Find-a-doc, Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN)). Information on barriers to recommended behavior, materials will be modified or new material developed in collaboration with FAAN and deliver in Year 2 to the 100 patients previously interviewed extensively and to a new group of 30 patients who at baseline do not carry self-injectable epinephrine. Effectiveness of educational material, and factors correlated with greater adherence, will be assessed by determining the extent of adherence to allergy avoidance and preparedness measures after delivery of educational material at a follow-up interview in Year 3. <P> ENHANCE THE PHYSICIANS' ABILITIES TO ADVISE ADULTS AND ADOLESCENTS WITH SEVERE FOOD ALLERGIES: Review materials currently available to assist patents in managing food allergies. Note areas where additional guidance is needed. Consult with other physicians regarding their perceptions of patient needs. Identify needs in physicians' abilities to advise adults and adolescents with severe food allergies. Accomplish via review of available material, discussions with collaborators in the FDA/CFSAN, and discussions with primary care and emergency medicine providers. Modify existing or design new educational materials for physicians. Material will be presented to the physician groups and the satisfaction of the physicians will be assessed. A newsletter for national distribution may be formulated, depending on needs assessment. Plan to develop mechanisms to enhance surveillance of food allergy associated anaphylaxis and death. <P> DELIVER AND EVALUATE FOOD ALLERGY TRAINING FOR FOOD SERVICE WORKERS: Coop. Ext. Advisors will expand food service classes in safe food handling to include the Natl. Restaurant Assoc. (NRA)/FAAN unit on food allergies. Advisors will explore restaurants' interest in publicly posting their training in food allergies. Restaurants will keep tally sheets of allergy-related requests from customers and how restaurant responded (check-list will be prepared to keep track of this activity). Scope of the menu, and type and size of restaurants receiving allergy training will be recorded for future analysis. To assess effectiveness of the materials, restaurants that received allergy training will be contacted at 4 mo. intervals (frequency needed in order to anticipate significant turnover of restaurant staff and need for refresher education). Through personal interview with the mgr./food safety officer, we will assess their knowledge of food allergy, including issues of cross-contamination, reading labels and their satisfaction with the allergy training. Will review the restaurant allergy tally sheet and inquire as to their comfort in serving a person with allergies.
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We anticipate that this project will improve the ability of physicians to assist patients with life-threatening food allergies, patients to manage their allergies, and restaurants to safety serve foods to sensitive persons. Additionally we plan to design a means for more accurate reporting of severe food allergies.
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2003/01 TO 2003/12: <BR>PI's Bruhn and Teuber developed draft questions for patients, physicians, and food service personnel. Bruhn and Teuber met with Elieen Parish and her committee at FDA to review procedures and areas of inquiry. The University of California Human Subjects Committee has reviewed all materials and requested clarification in some areas. We are awaiting their final approval before funding can be received and the project initiated.