TOPLINE:

Only 55.9% of parents and caregivers received guidance from healthcare providers on when to introduce allergenic foods to infants. Cultural practices, physician advice, and the presence of a family member with food allergies emerged as key barriers to the early introduction of allergenic foods.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers surveyed parents and caregivers to examine practices and identify barriers to introducing nine common allergenic foods during an infant’s first year.
• They collected 563 valid responses from parents and caregivers of children (mean age, 7.5 months; 58% girls; 85% White) via an online survey conducted between January and March 2024.

TAKEAWAY:

• Among 529 families who reported the timing of food introduction, eggs (72.0%) and wheat (62.6%) had the highest introduction rates by the time infants were 1 year old, whereas shellfish (44.0%) and sesame (51.6%) had the lowest introduction rates.
• Only 55.9% of participants reported receiving guidance from healthcare providers on when to introduce allergenic foods to their infant.
• Cultural practices (16.0%), physician advice (15.6%), and the presence of a family member with food allergies (14.0%) were primary barriers to the early introduction of allergenic foods.

IN PRACTICE:

“[Our] study advocates for integrating additional allied health professionals such as registered dietitians into pediatric healthcare teams to provide clear and consistent guidance on allergenic food introduction,” the authors wrote. 

SOURCE:

Wan Shen, PhD, with Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, was the corresponding author of the study, which was published online on November 17 in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.

LIMITATIONS:

This study lacked racial, ethnic, and sex-based diversity, thus limiting generalizability. People without internet access may have been excluded due to online recruitment. The reliance on self‑reported data may have introduced recall bias, and the lack of standardized criteria for immunoglobulin E‑mediated food allergy may have affected the accuracy of reported diagnoses.

DISCLOSURES:

The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.