Abstract: The Relationship Among School Personnel's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Self-Efficacy to Food Allergy Management in Kindergarten through 12th grade Public Schools

Background: The incidence of pediatric food allergy reactions in school has increased in recent years. The aim of this explorative, descriptive, cross-sectional study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy of kindergarten-12th grade public school personnel toward food allergy management.

Methods: The participants for this study included a convenience sample of 297 school personnel employed at public schools that are contracted for health services through a midwestern local children's hospital. Participants completed two surveys assessing their knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy in managing food allergy at school. The primary analysis was descriptive, and categorical data was described using frequencies and proportions. The secondary analysis consisted of distribution-based tests of correlation, association, and difference to compare knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy between respondents.

Results: The results reflected significant differences between school personnel who had received food allergy information and training in the past and those who had not. There were also differences between teachers and non-teachers and personnel with more than seven years' experience and those with less than seven years' experience.

Discussion: The results highlight the need for training and education for school personnel in order to ensure the safety of students with food allergies at school.