Changes in risk factors for food sensitization in early life: Analysis over a period of 10 years.

Background: Although epidemiological trends of childhood food sensitization (FS) in IgE-mediated food allergy were reported in China, few studies have examined at changes in its risk factors. Objective: To investigate the change in early-life risk factors associated with childhood food sensitization during 2009-2019 in China. Methods: Data from two cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2009 and 2019 (401 and 513 children, respectively) were analyzed. The results of skin prick tests and information on food sensitization-related risk factors in children were summarized, including family history of atopic disease (FHA), demographic characteristics, method of delivery, feeding patterns, sibship size, pet ownership, and vitamin D supplementation. Binary logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio and the regression coefficient ß-value of risk factors in the 2009 and 2019 surveys separately. Then, coefficient ß-value differences between the two surveys were analyzed by the bdiff command in STATA to describe the change in risk factors over 10 years. Results: The 2009 survey revealed that FHA, age, only child, and feeding patterns were associated with food sensitization. The 2019 survey showed that food sensitization was affected by age, sex, and feeding patterns. However, from 2009 to 2019, the probability of food sensitization in the only-child group significantly increased by 226.0% (ß-value difference = 0.81, P = 0.024) and decreased by 65.0% in female children (ß-value difference = -1.06, P = 0.008). The effect of age on food sensitization decreased by 50.0% (ß-value difference = -0.69, P < 0.001) over 10 years. Conclusion: The effect of FHA and common lifestyle factors on food sensitization did not significantly change during 2009-2019. However, the influence of demographic characteristics on food sensitization has changed since 2009; that is, older age, male gender, and only child are more likely to develop food sensitization, which needs to be considered in future epidemiological surveys. Clinical Trial Registration: http://www.chictr.org.cn/, identifier ChiCTR1900024338.

Trends in the contributions of atopic family history to pediatric food sensitization and allergy.

Objective: Family history of atopic diseases (FHA) contributes to food allergy (FA). But little is known whether FHA primarily increases IgE-mediated, non-IgE-mediated FA, or both. And the trends in the contributions of FHA to food sensitization (FS) and FA remain unclear. We aim to clarify the associations among FHA, FS and FA and to understand the trends in the contributions of FHA to FS and FA. Methods: We used chi-square test and mediating effect model to analyze the associations among FHA, FS and FA through comparisons between two cross-sectional investigations on FA in children under 2 years old in 2009 and 2019. Results: In 2009 and 2019, the positive FHA proportion tended to be increasing without significance (28.9% to 31.6%, P = 0.39). Subgroup analysis showed the FS rate in FA group decreased significantly (37/39 to 44/62, P = 0.003). In 2009, the FS rate and FA prevalence were higher in FHA (+) group than in FHA (-) group (26% vs. 14.7%, P = 0.008 and 15% vs. 7.7%, P = 0.03), and FS had a complete mediating effect on the association between FHA and FA (Z = 2.54, P = 0.011), but the results lost significance in 2019. Conclusions: The association between FHA and FA was completely mediated by FS, which means FHA mainly increases IgE-mediated FA. And the contributions of FHA to FS and FA tended to be stabilized or even diminished, which means FHA alone could no longer be enough to screen high-risk children.

Comparison of the Differences Between Web-Based and Traditional Questionnaire Surveys in Pediatrics: Comparative Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: A web-based survey is a novel method for data capture. Some studies have applied web-based surveys in pediatrics, but few of them have reported data on the differences between web-based and traditional questionnaire surveys. OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to evaluate the internal consistency of a web-based survey and compare it with a traditional questionnaire survey in pediatrics. METHODS: A convenience sample of caregivers was invited to participate in the survey on feeding patterns and their children's eating behaviors if their children were aged 2 to 7 years. A web-based survey and a traditional questionnaire survey were carried out between October 2018 and July 2019. A total of 1085 caregivers were involved in this study, and they were divided into the following three groups based on methods and sources: (1) web-based survey from a web source, (2) web-based survey from a hospital source, and (3) traditional questionnaire survey from a hospital source. The data were then compared and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 735 caregivers participated in the web-based survey and 350 caregivers participated in the traditional questionnaire survey, and 816 cases were then included in the analyses after data processing. The effective rate of the web-based survey was 70.1% (515/735), and the completeness rate of the traditional questionnaire survey was 86.0% (301/350). There were no significant differences between web-based surveys from different sources. However, demographic characteristics were significantly different between the web-based and traditional questionnaire surveys, mainly in terms of age and caregivers (χ²4=16.509, P=.002 and χ²4=111.464, P<.001, respectively). Caregivers of children aged 2 to 3 years and grandparents were more likely to respond to the web-based survey. Age-specific stratified analysis showed that the score of "monitoring" and the reporting rate of "poor appetite" in children aged 2 to 3 years were significantly higher in the web-based survey compared to the traditional questionnaire survey after adjusting for demographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: A web-based survey could be a feasible tool in pediatric studies. However, differences in demographic characteristics and their possible impacts on the results should be considered in the analyses.

Time trends of childhood food allergy in China: Three cross-sectional surveys in 1999, 2009, and 2019.

BACKGROUND: Many countries have recorded the trends of food allergy (FA) prevalence. Little is known about epidemiologic trends of childhood FA in China. METHODS: In three cross-sectional surveys conducted in 1999, 2009, and 2019, the prevalence of and characteristic changes in FA in children aged ≤ 2 years were assessed and the outcomes were compared. All the children were recruited during well-baby check-ups at the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. All participants had a detailed medical history taken and underwent skin prick tests using ten commercial food extracts. Open food challenges were used for confirmation of FA. RESULTS: The three studies included 1228 children (314 in 1999, 401 in 2009, and 513 in 2019; response rate > 95%). The prevalence of FA in 2009 (7.7%) and 2019 (11.1%) was significantly higher than that in 1999 (3.5%). However, there was no statistically significant difference in prevalence between 2009 and 2019 (P = .086). There was evidence of increased prevalence in CMPA between 1999 and 2019 (1.6% versus 5.7%; P = .004). However, no statistic difference was found in egg allergy (2.9% versus 5.5%; P = .21). The incidence of skin symptoms did not differ significantly over the study period, while the incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms increased significantly (18.2% in 1999, 12.9% in 2009, and 43.9% in 2019; P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of FA in children rapidly increased after the 1990s and gradually stabilized after 2010. Cow's milk has become the most common food allergen among children in Chongqing. The incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms as a manifestation of FA has increased significantly since 2010.