Korean Journal of Community Nutrition

Original Article

[English]
Food Allergy Management Status by Dietitians and Nutrition Teachers in Elementary and Middle Schools in Incheon: Aruem Yoon, Soo Kyung Lee; Korean J Community Nutr 2016;21(3):247-255. Published online June 30, 2016; DOI: https://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2016.21.3.247

OBJECTIVES
Food allergy appears to be increasing in prevalence and can potentially result in significant damaging impact on children's mental and physical health. This study investigated how dietitians/nutrition teachers in Incheon, where a fatal fool allergy incidence occurred, manage food allergy issues in school lunch systems.
METHODS
A survey with a pre-tested questionnaire was conducted with 358 dietitians/nutrition teachers in Incheon area. The final analytical sample included questionnaire data from 208 study participants (58.1%). Statistical analyses used SPSS ver 19.0.
RESULTS
A total of 99.5% respondents reported having received food allergy education. The respondents showed a correction rate of the food allergy test slightly higher than 70%, where nutrition teachers and respondents working in elementary schools had correction rates higher than dietitians and those working in middle schools (p<0.05). All respondents reported regular monitoring to identify students with food allergy and making notification of allergy-prone foods on menu in their school. More nutrition teachers provided "elimination meals" (57.6%) or "replacement meals" (37.0%) than dietitians (43.1%, 19.8%, respectively) (p<0.05). Elimination and replacement meals were provided more in elementary schools than in middle schools (p<0.05). Although counseling students with food allergy on nutrition was done by 64.9% of respondents, the areas of counseling were limited to basics of food allergy and how to use the notification system on menu. To prepare for handling food allergy events effectively, networks with regional clinics or hospitals (34.1%), hotline with parents (87.4%), and keeping an Epi-Pen ready (46.7% elementary school) were established. Only 34.1% of respondents knew how to use Epi-Pens.
CONCLUSIONS
Dietitians and nutrition teachers in Incheon widely adapted food allergy management methods. It appears that education/training on food allergy for dietitians/nutrition teachers can move on from teaching basics of food allergy to providing applicable food allergy management methods at school system.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Study on the status of food allergy management and importance-performance analysis about precautions of food allergy in school foodservice according to the school types in Jeonbuk area
Ji Yeon Kim, Jeong Ok Rho
Journal of Nutrition and Health.2020; 53(3): 329. CrossRef
The School Meal Workers' Recognition and Management of Food Allergy in Gangwon Province
Meera Jang, Soo-Jin Lee
Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life.2018; 28(6): 391. CrossRef

149 View
5 Download
2 Crossref

First
Prev
Page of 1
Next
Last

Search