Graduation Year
2024
Document Type
Senior Thesis
Degree
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Primary Major
Nursing
Thesis Advisor
Patricia Harris, PhD, RN, CNS
Abstract
Background
Food allergy (FA) is known to be more prevalent in industrialized countries compared to developing countries. FA is a chronic disease that can cause a range of symptoms from regional urticaria to lethal anaphylaxis. FA affects 10% of the general population and is more common in children, affecting 8% of children versus 3% of adults (Seth, D. et al., 2020). It is unclear why food allergy is more common in industrialized countries versus developing countries. Research Question What are the influential factors that affect the increasing incidence of food allergy in toddlers born in industrialized countries versus those that are born in developing countries? Is there a promising future for food allergy prevention?
Literature Review
● Children born in urban areas of a country are more likely to develop food allergies, compared to those born in rural areas.
● Environment has more impact on the development of FA compared to genetics. ● Early food introduction is a safe and effective method in preventing the development of FA.
● Food allergy prevalence and trends are based on statistics collected from industrialized countries. Currently, there is a lack of food allergy prevalence studies performed in developing countries. Research Study
● Purpose: To determine the feasibility of collecting epidemiological data on food allergy prevalence in a developing countries and to help fill a significant gap in food allergy research
● Population: Toddlers of developing countries (city in the Philippines) ● Objective: Determine food allergy prevalence trends in a Philippine city ● Study design: Mixed methods, cross-sectional
● Study method: Survey
Clinical Significance
● Identifying the influential factors of food allergy prevalence can aid in the prevention of food allergy.
● Collecting data about the experiences of families with food allergies can assist nurses in guiding children and their parents in overcoming the challenges of living with food allergy.