title: Evaluation of a group intervention for children with food allergy and their parents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Children with food allergy and their parents may experience substantial stress related to the risk of serious reactions and the demands of allergy management.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate a group intervention for children with food allergy and their parents designed to increase parent-perceived competence in coping with food allergy and to decrease the parent-perceived burden associated with food allergy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-one children aged 5 to 7 years with food allergy and their parents attended 1 of 4 half-day workshops, with parent and child groups run concurrently. Parents completed self-report measures of perceived competence in coping with food allergy at 3 time points: preworkshop (within 8 weeks of the intervention), postworkshop (immediately after the intervention), and follow-up (4-8 weeks after the intervention). Parents completed a measure of burden associated with food allergy at preworkshop and follow-up. Parents and children also completed evaluations of the study intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parent-perceived competence in coping with food allergy increased significantly from preworkshop to postworkshop and follow-up, and parent-perceived burden associated with food allergy decreased from preworkshop to follow-up. Parent and child evaluations of the workshop were favorable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings provide preliminary support for the effectiveness and feasibility of a group intervention for children with food allergy and their parents and suggest the importance of controlled evaluations of group interventions in this population in the future.
authors: Division of Immunology, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. jennifer.lebovidge@childrens.harvard.edu
authors: Jennifer S
authors: JS
authors: LeBovidge
authors: Karol
authors: K
authors: Timmons
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Rich
authors: Addie
authors: A
authors: Rosenstock
authors: Kirsten
authors: K
authors: Fowler
authors: Heather
authors: H
authors: Strauch
authors: Leslie A
authors: LA
authors: Kalish
authors: Lynda C
authors: LC
authors: Schneider
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000523:psychology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires