Ways to prevent allergic reactions during lunchtime at nurseries: Analysis using text-mining
2023 Volume 37 Issue 5 Pages 449-456
Details
2023 Volume 37 Issue 5 Pages 449-456
Purpose: To compare awareness among nursery staff to prevent allergic reactions during lunchtime between 2013 and 2021 and between nurseries with and without children that experienced anaphylaxis.
Methods: In 2013 and 2021, a questionnaire was distributed to all registered nurseries in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The free-writing answers to the question "How do you prevent allergic reactions to food as a result of erroneous servings during lunchtime?" were analyzed using text mining.
Results: Answers were obtained from 232 nurseries (87.9%) in 2013, and 251 nurseries (71.7%) in 2021. The most common word in the answers from 2021 and from nurseries with children that experienced anaphylaxis was "confirm". Five categories and 13 codes were extracted by co-occurrence network analysis. The frequencies of the two codes, "distinguish dishes for children with food allergy from those for others" and "perform multiple checks", were significantly higher in 2021 than in 2013. The frequencies of the two codes, "display on the bulletin board" and "isolate the table" were significantly higher in answers from nurseries with children that experienced anaphylaxis than from nurseries without them.
Conclusion: Heightened awareness among nursery staff to prevent allergic reactions during lunchtime was observed between 2013 and 2021 and at nurseries with children that experienced anaphylaxis.
