The rising prevalence of childhood allergy has become a major concern among parents, but misconceptions about the condition also abound, a survey released by the Asian Pacific Association of Pediatric Allergy Respirology and Immunology yesterday showed.
The survey, conducted earlier this month among mothers with at least one child aged below three, showed that 91.5 percent of respondents were worried that their children might have allergies, regardless of their family history.
“Among them, 90 percent [of respondents] actually have a family member who has some type of allergy. However, it is worth noting that even among respondents without a family history of allergies, they still fret that their children could develop the condition,” association director-general Yeh Kuo-wei (葉國偉) told a press conference in Taipei.
Yeh said that 262, or 82.9 percent, of those polled admitted to at least one of the common misconceptions listed in the poll.
The survey showed that 20.6 percent and 28.2 percent of respondents said they tried to avoid foods believed to cause an allergic reaction during pregnancy and breastfeeding respectively.
“Expectant women or new mothers should put their children as well as their own nutrition above everything else. There is no need to shun any types of foods unless the mothers are allergic to them themselves,” said Lin Yu-tsan (林于粲), a doctor specializing in childhood allergies at National Taiwan University Hospital.
In addition, 66.8 percent of respondents believed it was safer to incorporate non-staple foods into their newborn’s diet six months after birth to prevent the kids from developing allergies, the poll showed.
“It is recommended that parents begin feeding their children high-allergen foods, such as eggs, milk and seafood, four to six months after birth, to ensure their diet is balanced,” Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital’s Division of Allergy, Asthma and Rheumatology director Wang Lin (王玲) said.
Wang said that delaying the incorporation of non-staple foods would not reduce a child’s risk of developing allergies, but advised parents to add only one type of new food every three to seven days.
The poll collected 316 valid samples with a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of 5.66 percent.
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