Tag Archive for: Ramos

Epinephrine auto-injector for allergy

Assessing daily food allergy self-management among adolescents

Epinephrine auto-injector for allergy

Adolescents reported that epinephrine auto-injectors were frequently available, but least likely to be present outside of the home or school.

Severe food allergic reactions can be life-threatening or fatal and are experienced by up to 40% of children with food allergies, with adolescents at greatest risk. To assess early adolescents’ food allergy self-management, Linda Herbert, Ph.D., and her colleagues at Children’s National Hospital, had 101 adolescents ages 10-14 years complete the Food Allergy Management 24-Hour Recall as an interview.

Adolescents reported that epinephrine auto-injectors were frequently available, but least likely to be present outside of the home or school. Adolescents also relied on past experience with food to determine safety, which is not a recommended strategy. Appropriate assessment of food safety and problem-solving involving how to keep epinephrine auto-injectors with adolescents outside the home should be primary intervention targets.

Study authors from Children’s National include: Linda Herbert, Ph.D., Ashley Ramos, Ph.D., Frances Cooke, Kaushalendra Amatya, Ph.D., and Hemant Sharma, M.D., M.H.S.

Read the full study in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

piece of bread with question mark cut out

The Food Allergy Parent Mentoring Program: A pilot intervention

piece of bread with question mark cut out

Parents of young children with newly diagnosed food allergy are at risk for poor psychosocial outcomes due to food allergy’s life-threatening nature and demanding management routines. Presently, there are no interventions to support food allergy parents during this adjustment phase.

Ashley Ramos, Ph.D., and colleagues at Children’s National Hospital conducted a pilot study to explore the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a novel intervention using peer mentorship to improve psychosocial functioning in parents of young children with newly diagnosed food allergy. Parent mentors were trained in mentorship and matched with a mentee, a parent of a child under the age of 5 years with newly diagnosed food allergy, for a 6-month intervention period.

Their findings indicate the use of a peer mentorship program to support parents of children with newly diagnosed food allergy is feasible and helpful. It may be appropriate to develop and implement such programs in allergy clinics.

Study authors from Children’s National include: Ashley Ramos, Ph.D., Frances Cooke, Emily Miller and Linda Herbert, Ph.D.

Read the full study in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology.