Czy Pandemia Covid-19 Wpłynęła Na Sposób Żywienia Dzieci W Wieku Przedszkolnym Chorujących Na Alergie Pokarmowe?

Abstract

Background. A food allergy requires thatan elimination diet be started and strictly followed. In the case of young children, responsibility for controlling the diet rests on parents. The aim of the presented research was to determine whether the Covid-19 pandemic influenced the diets of preschool-age children suffering from food allergies. Parents of preschool children (3 ÷ 6 years old) diagnosed with a food allergy and attending kindergartens run by the city of Lublin were invited to participate in the study. The mothers of 151 children, who took part in the study, completed a questionnaire consisting of two parts. The first part was based on the KomPAN questionnaire assessing the frequency of consumption of products and dishes, the second part examined changes in diets during the Covid-19 pandemic. Results and conclusions. The most common allergens in the studied group were cow’s milk proteins, nuts, hen’s egg whites, small-seeded fruit, cocoa, celery and citrus fruit. Two-thirds of the mothers de clared that they always followed an elimination diet. Every tenth respondent claimed that there were occa sional deviations from their diet, while the other mothers did not follow an elimination diet on a daily basis. The problem with access to a pediatrician, specialist doctor or dietitian during the Covid-19 pan demic, according to one-third of the mothers, was the cause of difficulties in the correct composition of a diet and contributed to mistakes or more frequent deviations from their diet. Every fifth respondent claimed that remote work resulted in the lack of time for cooking and more frequent use of ready-made food, consequently, making it more difficult to eliminate allergens from the child’s diet. As showed by the research, the lack of time and the difficulty in accessing basic and specialized medical care meant that during the pandemic, children more often consumed food having allergenic properties.