Pre-service primary teachers in Austria and their medical literacy regarding food allergies in the school setting
ABSTRACT
Food allergies are increasing in school-aged children. The World Health Organizations has estimated that a prevalence of food allergies among children is 4-6%. Teachers must have or get a deeper understanding of the impact of food allergies on the children’s lives in general and not only at school. Unfortunately, teachers often know little about food allergies and their possible severe reaction, an anaphylactic shock. This can pose a significant problem for the health of children in the school setting. Austrian pre-services teachers only receive little training in medical and health-related topics during their studies but their knowledge and attitudes are of great importance for the future management of cases of allergic children. This future study investigates the actual knowledge, attitude and feelings of future primary teachers regarding food allergies in children and the consequential resulting management of allergic reactions.
Keywords: anaphylaxis, food allergy, medical literacy, pre-service teachers, school