Evaluation of an Online Educational Program for Parents and Caregivers of Children With Food Allergies.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The increasing prevalence of food allergy affects both patients and their families. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of an online educational program designed for parents and caregivers of children with food allergies. The program was developed by a multidisciplinary group comprising health care professionals, researchers, and expert patients under the participatory medicine model. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Participants took a 2-week online educational program covering major topics in food allergy management. General knowledge about the disease, symptoms, treatment, and topics relevant to families' daily lives were evaluated. The contents included educational videos, online forums, and live video chats. A pretest/posttest questionnaire survey was used to evaluate the impact of the program. RESULTS: A total of 207 participants enrolled in the educational program, which was completed by 130 (62.8%). Knowledge acquisition improved significantly following participation in the program in 15 out of 30 items (50%), reaching P<.001 for 8 items (26.7%). Of the 207 participants who started the program, 139 (67.1%) visited online forums, and 27.5% attended video chats. Average overall satisfaction with the educational program was 8.78 (on a scale of 0 to 10). CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained show that parents improved their knowledge in all areas of food allergy. The high level of satisfaction among participants suggests that digital learning tools are effective and motivational, enabling patients to acquire appropriate knowledge and thus increasing their quality of life.

Evaluation of an educational programme with workshops for families of children with food allergies.

BACKGROUND: When a child is diagnosed with a food allergy, prevention and patient education are the key interventions for maintaining the child's health and quality of life and that of his or her whole family. However, health education activities for the families of children with food allergies are very limited, and most of these activities have not been evaluated. Therefore, the objectives of the present study were to develop an educational programme, to empower its participants through workshops, and to evaluate its results. METHODS: Several types of educational materials were created specifically for the programme, called "Proyecto CESA" ("STOP-FAR Project: Stop Food-Induced Allergic Reactions"). The programme was carried out in seven Spanish cities and was attended by parents and caregivers. The workshops were led by physicians specialising in allergies and by expert patients. Afterwards, participant learning and satisfaction were evaluated based on questionnaires that were completed both before and after the workshops. RESULTS: A significant improvement was observed in 29 items out of 40 (McNemar's test). Participant satisfaction with the programme was also very high: 90% rated the course between 8 and 10 points out of a possible 10 (41% rated it as a 10). CONCLUSION: The face-to-face workshops, which included utilisation of educational materials, had positive results in terms of learning as well as in levels of satisfaction in participating families.