Feeding challenges and parental distress among families of young children with food allergy - feeding difficulties are prevalent among youth with food allergies (FA) and pose a risk for social,…

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida $175,280 on May 11, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to support a K23 career development grant investigating feeding challenges and parental distress in families with young children who have food allergies.

The award funds research led by Dr. Campbell to characterize feeding problems in food-allergic youth and their association with parental and family psychosocial factors through direct observation of mealtime behavior. The project aims to understand parent perspectives on feeding difficulties, directly observe mealtime behavior problems, and crowdsource parent feedback to inform development of a novel behavioral intervention for parents of young children with food allergies. The research will provide preliminary data for a future R01 proposal examining intervention efficacy. The award also provides Dr. Campbell research training in pediatric food allergy content, stakeholder engagement methods, observational mealtime data collection and analysis, and behavioral intervention development, supported by mentors with expertise in mealtime behavior assessment, pediatric food allergy, and intervention development.

Performance occurs in Orlando, Florida with an ultimate completion date of April 30, 2031.

Feeding challenges and parental distress among families of young children with food allergy - feeding difficulties are prevalent among youth with food allergies (FA) and pose a risk for social, physical, and psychological challenges. Yet, specific feeding problems during meals and how parents respond to problems have not been directly observed, which precludes behavioral intervention development. Parents are active participants in the development of child feeding habits during early childhood. However, parents of youth with FA experience high rates of distress, which may contribute to the feeding difficulties and mealtime behavior problems that they report. Despite parent-reported mealtime behavior problems and a large body of evidence documenting the psychosocial impact of FA on parents and families, few interventions exist to address this need. To address this GAP, the proposed K23 aims to: 1) understand parent perspectives and characterize core features of feeding problems in FA, 2) directly observe mealtime behavior problems and understand their association with parent and family psychosocial factors, and 3) crowdsource parent feedback on content to inform a future, novel, behavioral intervention for parents of youth with FA. The data from the proposed study will directly inform the development of an innovative behavioral intervention for parents of young children with FA and will provide preliminary data for an R01 proposal to examine efficacy of the future intervention. This K23 proposal aims to provide DR. Campbell with additional research training in 1) content knowledge related to pediatric food allergy, 2) stakeholder engagement methods, 3) observational mealtime data collection and analysis, and 4) development of novel behavioral interventions. A team of accomplished mentors with expertise in mealtime behavior assessment, pediatric food allergy, and behavioral intervention development in addition to an institution with a track record of supporting early career investigators will ensure DR. Campbell's success. Completion of these training goals will facilitate DR. Campbell's long-term goal of becoming an independent investigator and leader in developing parent-focused psychosocial interventions in pediatric food allergy.