Grant: Operating Grant: ECI grants in MRC&Y Health - Infection and Immunity

For the 4-8% of Canadian children with food allergy, and thus their families, deciding what and where to eat can be challenging and costly. These decisions can also lead to acute and severe reactions which require emergency medicine. But, because food allergic reactions are potentially fatal, these decisions can also be a potential life-or-death choice. To prevent a reaction, allergic individuals must exclude the foods to which they are allergic. This can be challenging, socially limiting and costly. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms recognizes food allergy as a legal disability. Yet, at present, there are no national policies to support those living with food allergy. To address this knowledge gap, we propose a project that uses data from various sources to increase our understanding of these families' needs. Our group includes Canadian leaders in pediatric allergy, knowledge translation, mixed methods and child psychology. Manitoba is the ideal place to do this work because it is a leader in pediatric allergy patient education and engagement, and is home to the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, which houses health administation data for nearly all registered residents in the province. The major goal of our work is to describe how food allergy impacts families. We will learn about this impact by talking to families, medical professionals and school staff, and by analysing healthcare records. Our other major goal is to create a needs-focused pediatric food allergy support programme for low-income Manitoba children and their families. We will use this information to develop the types of programs they believe would be most helpful. Our long term vision is to use the findings to help inform a national strategy for families with food allergic children, to help inform decisions for maximising available resources, to provide optimal care for those with food allergy, and to assist with future planning.