Factors associated with good adherence to self‐care behaviours amongst adolescents with food allergy

BACKGROUND: Our understanding of factors which affect adherence to health sustaining self-care behaviours in adolescents with food allergy is limited. This study used the Health Belief Model to explore the relationship between food allergic adolescents' health beliefs, demographic, structural and social psychological factors with adherence to self-care behaviours, including allergen avoidance and carrying emergency medication. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 188 13- to 19- olds identified from hospital prescribed auto-injectable epinephrine for food allergy. Data were collected on demographics, structural factors, social psychological factors, health beliefs and current adherence behaviour using a postal questionnaire. RESULTS: Full adherence was reported by 16% of participants. Multivariate analysis indicated that adherence was more likely to be reported if the adolescents belonged to a support group (OR = 2.54, (1.04, 6.20) 95% CI), had an anaphylaxis management plan (OR = 3.22, (1.18, 8.81) 95% CI), perceived their food allergy to be more severe (OR = 1.24, (1.01, 1.52) 95% CI) and perceived fewer barriers to disease management (OR = 0.87, (0.79, 0.96) 95% CI). CONCLUSIONS: Membership of a patient support group and having an anaphylaxis management plan were associated with good adherence to self-care behaviours in adolescents with food allergy. Our results suggest that interventions to improve provision and utilisation of management plans, address adolescents' perceptions of the severity of anaphylaxis and reduce barriers to disease management may facilitate good adherence behaviours than focussing on knowledge-based interventions.