Development and Validation of Parental Self-Efficacy Scale for Dietary Management of Children with Food Allergies

It is necessary to evaluate the parental ability to achieve nutritional adequacy while avoiding allergens for children with food allergies (FA), yet this area is currently understudies. Our study aimed to develop and validate the Parental Self-Efficacy Scale for Dietary Management of Children with Food Allergies (PSED-FA).

PSED-FA was developed through a literature review and semi-structured interviews refined by a panel of five allergists and five dietitians, and validated using responses from caregivers of children with FA. The construction of the tool involved exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis for model fit, and evaluation of internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha. Convergent and divergent validity were assessed using the average variance extracted (AVE), maximum shared variance (MSV), and average shared variance (ASV).

Participants included nine focus interview groups, with 114 individuals in the validation group. Egg whites (55.2%), tree nuts (35.2%), and peanuts (22.8%) were the most common allergens. The EFA identified three factors: preparing allergen-free meals, knowledge of nutrition management, and management of food restrictions. The goodness of fit of our model met all the criteria. The tool showed high internal consistency (overall Cronbach's alpha: 0.902) and met the criteria for both convergent (AVE >0.5) and divergent validity (AVE > MSV and ASV).

This study validated a reliable and effective tool for assessing parental self-efficacy in managing the dietary needs of children with FA. This tool can aid health professionals in evaluating parental confidence and identifying areas for improving dietary management in children with FA.