Aljameel Ghzail M, AlSedairy Sahar Abdulaziz, Binobead Manal Abdulaziz, Alhussain Maha H, Bin Obaid Manar Abdulaziz, Al-Harbi Laila Naif, Alshammari Ghedeir M, Arzoo Shaista
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Apr 28;11(9):1259. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11091259.
Exposure to allergens could be life-threatening for people with food allergies. Restaurants and cafes are challenging environments for accommodating food allergies. This study aimed to measure King Saud University female students' awareness about food allergens on restaurants' and cafes' menus. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 379 students aged 18 years and above. A paper-based questionnaire was used, which comprised 16 questions related to the definition of food allergies, food allergens, and food allergy symptoms; the definition and prevention of cross-contact of food allergies; emergency treatment procedures for food allergies; strategies for the prevention of food allergy reactions; customer expectations towards restaurants; and preventive measures taken for food allergies. The results indicate that the overall average score of food allergen awareness was 10.90, which falls in the higher range. Furthermore, female students in the age groups of 23 to 27 years and 33 to 37 years had higher levels of awareness than female students in the age group of 18 to 22 years. The results also showed that the level of awareness among science college and health college students was statistically significantly higher ( < 0.05) than that among humanities college students. Post-graduate students also showed a higher level of awareness of food allergens than bachelor's students. These findings also indicate that listing all allergens in the restaurants and cafes' menus statistically significantly ( < 0.05) increased the level of awareness of female students about food allergens on restaurants' and cafes' menus, compared to restaurants and cafes that do not list all allergens on their menus. In general, female students at King Saud University showed a high level of awareness about food allergies on restaurants' and cafes' menus. The study recommends assessing the impact of awareness of female students with and without food allergies on their practices and behaviors.
接触过敏原对食物过敏的人可能会危及生命。餐厅和咖啡馆是容纳食物过敏者颇具挑战性的场所。本研究旨在衡量沙特国王大学女学生对餐厅和咖啡馆菜单上食物过敏原的认知程度。这项横断面研究针对379名18岁及以上的学生开展。采用了纸质问卷，其中包含16个问题，涉及食物过敏的定义、食物过敏原、食物过敏症状；食物过敏交叉接触的定义和预防；食物过敏的急救程序；预防食物过敏反应的策略；顾客对餐厅的期望；以及针对食物过敏采取的预防措施。结果表明，食物过敏原认知的总体平均得分为10.90，处于较高水平。此外，23至27岁以及33至37岁年龄组的女学生比18至22岁年龄组的女学生认知水平更高。结果还显示，理学院和健康学院学生的认知水平在统计学上显著高于人文学院学生（<0.05）。研究生对食物过敏原的认知水平也高于本科生。这些发现还表明，与未在菜单上列出所有过敏原的餐厅和咖啡馆相比，在餐厅和咖啡馆菜单上列出所有过敏原在统计学上显著提高了女学生对餐厅和咖啡馆菜单上食物过敏原的认知水平（<0.05）。总体而言，沙特国王大学的女学生对餐厅和咖啡馆菜单上的食物过敏表现出较高的认知水平。该研究建议评估有食物过敏和无食物过敏的女学生的认知对其行为和举动的影响。
