2020 Volume 44 Issue 1 Pages 99-109
This study investigated current food allergy knowledge and awareness among aspiring special support schoolteachers, as well as the effectiveness of related courses in teacher education. Questionnaires were administered to 39 aspiring special support schoolteachers before and after taking a food allergy course that included practical training using EpiPen® trainers. While current knowledge of food allergy medications, e.g. EpiPen®, was significantly lower relative to other areas, which suggested a need to expand such knowledge, the results indicated that post-course knowledge of food allergies rose significantly. Further, the above-mentioned practical training notably reduced participants’ fear of using an EpiPen® and increased their self-confidence in the proper use of the medication. Meanwhile, post-course concern over food allergies grew substantially, implying a heightened sense of the urgency of food allergy countermeasures. To inculcate schoolteachers with an adequate knowledge of food allergies and equip them with the emergency skills to deal with such outbreaks, periodic refresher courses should be integrated into teacher training and development.
