How Has Food Allergy Been Perceived Among Students In Health-Related Majors?

OBJECTIVES: Food allergy has become a serious public health concern as the prevalence of food allergies has increased significantly recently. Health caregivers have responsibilities to their patients with food allergies and their perception and awareness of the topic may impact the way they treat their patients. This project investigated how health-related majors students perceived food allergies at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio. METHODS: A total of 133 survey responses were collected in November 2021, student majors include Food and Nutrition, Nursing, Pre-Medicine/Physician Assistant, Other Clinical Care Related (i.e., Clinical Psychology, Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Medical Laboratory Science), and Others (i.e., Biology, Health Care Administration, and Gerontology). RESULTS: Among them, 15% have food allergy themselves, 14.3% live with someone with food allergy, and 70.7% live without food allergy problems. More than 75% participants agreed that “food allergy is a serious problem in the U.S.”. This research shows an association between the major and their responses to the “Food allergy causes people to be treated differently” (c(2)(133, 16) = 26.977, P = 0.042). In the questions about “worry about for themselves or for children”, the participants without food allergy problems worried less than those with food allergy (c(2)(133, 8) = 22.211, P = 0.005; c(2)(133, 8) = 16.706, P = 0.033, respectively). Further, “most important strategies to help people with food allergies” was answered differently among majors. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, education for food allergies is important for health major students to understand how food allergy influences patient treatment and to prepare their careers. Also, public education on food allergy benefits daily life for everyone. FUNDING SOURCES: Bowling Green State University Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship.