Abstract
Background: Parents of children with food allergy, primary care physicians, and members of the general public play a critical role in the health and well-being of food-allergic children, though little is known about their knowledge and perceptions of food allergy. The purpose of this paper is to detail the development of the Chicago Food Allergy Research Surveys to assess food allergy knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs among these three populations. Methods. From 2006-2008, parents of food-allergic children, pediatricians, family physicians, and adult members of the general public were recruited to assist in survey development. Preliminary analysis included literature review, creation of initial content domains, expert panel review, and focus groups. Survey validation included creation of initial survey items, expert panel ratings, cognitive interviews, reliability testing, item reduction, and final validation. National administration of the surveys is ongoing. Results. Nine experts were assembled to oversee survey development. Six focus groups were held: 2/survey population, 4-9 participants/group; transcripts were reviewed via constant comparative methods to identify emerging themes and inform item creation. At least 220 participants per population were recruited to assess the relevance, reliability, and utility of each survey item as follows: cognitive interviews, 10 participants; reliability testing 10; item reduction 50; and final validation, 150 respondents. Conclusion. The Chicago Food Allergy Research surveys offer validated tools to assess food allergy knowledge and perceptions among three distinct populations: a 42 item parent tool, a 50 item physician tool, and a 35 item general public tool. No such tools were previously available.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 142 |
Journal | BMC health services research |
Volume | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2009 |
Funding
We would like to thank the members of our expert panel: Denise Bunning, Anne Munoz-Furlong, Corrie Harris, MD, Karen Wilson, MD, Barry Zuck-erman, MD, and Scott Sicherer, MD. Their guidance in the survey development process was invaluable. We would also like to thank Laura Amsden, Julia Barnathan, and Emily Collins for their assistance during the preliminary stages of survey development. Finally, special thanks to the Food Allergy Project of Chicago, IL USA, whose generous funding made this study possible.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health Policy