Food allergies in school: design and evaluation of a teacher-oriented training action

Abstract

BackgroundFood allergies are perceived as a significant problem in school environments; as a result, a teacher’s ability to recognise and deal with allergic reactions is of fundamental importance to protect children’s health. This paper includes the results of a study conducted for the purposes of designing, implementing and monitoring a specific set of teacher-oriented communication actions.MethodsThe study involved designing, implementing and assessing five workshops. These workshops were designed on the basis of the analysis of perceptions and information needs investigated by three focus groups (25 teachers). The level of the teachers’ knowledge and appreciation of the workshops was evaluated by using two structured questionnaires (n = 158).ResultsThe teachers feel that they are insufficiently informed about food allergies; this knowledge gap is confirmed by an analysis of their knowledge before participating in the workshops. According to the teachers, the information which would be most useful to them has to do with the practical management of allergies in school. They feel that there is a lack of a professional contact person for precise and reliable information on health issues. The workshops seem to be appreciated as an information method. In addition, there appears to be a need to involve all children in awareness raising activities and education projects on this subject.ConclusionsThere is an urgent need for training actions on food allergies in Italian schools, in particular the communication of practical information regarding the management of allergies and emergencies. More communication between the medical and school staff is, in particular, advisable.

A survey of school’s preparedness for managing anaphylaxis in pupils with food allergy

“…This survey revealed that less than half of the schools felt confident in managing severe allergic reactions. Similar results have been reported previously and it is agreed that staff-perceived confidence is a good indicator of the school preparedness to deal with allergy emergencies [20,23,24,29]. This lack of confidence stands to reason, since school training is limited with regard to regularity and quality; the fact that training is offered upon request, and is not mandatory, places the responsibility on the school to acquire training, thus reducing the motivation for schools without registered allergic pupils.…”

Food Allergy Training for Schools and Restaurants (The Food Allergy Community Program): Protocol to Evaluate the Effectiveness of a Web-Based Program

“…In a similar study conducted by Polloni et al [ 9 ], an increase in school teachers’ food allergy knowledge was observed after attendance at free multidisciplinary food allergy courses, which also highlighted the need for specific educational interventions. The same effectiveness in improving teachers’ knowledge about food allergy was also found by Ravarotto et al in a study that presupposes the design, implementation, and monitoring of food allergy workshops [ 10 ]. Ultimately, the results of a study conducted by White et al [ 6 ], which aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a computer-based learning module as an additional food allergy teaching tool for school staff, pointed to the feasibility and effectiveness of this computer-based training, despite it being non-interactive.…”

“…According to the literature, there is a consensus that there is a significant lack of information and education for the different stakeholders in the field of food allergy. Studies examining school personnel’s knowledge of food allergies have shown that teachers do not consider themselves sufficiently informed and prepared [ 9 , 10 ]. Moreover, the psychosocial impact of food allergies among school children is also a crucial and pressing issue.…”

Food Allergy Management at School

“…At the level of interpersonal relationships, several distinct steps could be taken to create a safer environment for students with food allergies. First, there is ample evidence that most teachers and administrators are unaware of the severity of food allergies and of appropriate strategies for responding to anaphylactic reactions . For example, knowledge of how and when to administer epinephrine is lacking .…”