Experiences of school-age children living with food allergies: a qualitative systematic review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this review is to synthesize the experiences of primary school-age children living with food allergies.

Introduction: The prevalence of food allergies has increased in recent years. Primary school-age children with food allergies experience various psychological and social effects, including depressive symptoms, bullying, psychological distress, abnormal eating behaviors, and a diminished quality of life. However, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews focusing on the experiences of children with food allergies.

Inclusion criteria: Qualitative studies including children aged 6 to 12 years living with food allergies will be considered for inclusion. The phenomena of interest are the experiences of primary school-age children living with food allergies. The context of this review encompasses daily life in the community, including school, home, and visits to hospitals or treatment settings.

Methods: The databases to be searched will include CINAHL (EBSCOhost), MEDLINE (EBSCOhost), PsycINFO (EBSCOhost), and Igaku Chuo Zasshi (Japan Medical Abstracts Society). The sources of gray literature will be MedNar, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses A&I, ClinicalTrials.gov, and UMIN-CTR. After screening the titles and abstracts of identified citations, potentially relevant studies will be retrieved in full. The review will be conducted following the JBI methodology for qualitative evidence. The JBI process of meta-aggregation will be used to identify categories and synthesize findings. Study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, and data synthesis will be independently performed by 2 reviewers. The synthesized findings will be graded according to the ConQual approach to establish confidence in the findings.

Review registration: PROSPERO CRD42022359854.