Factors associated with parental burden among parents of children with food allergies in China: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the factors associated with parental burden among parents of children with food allergies (FA) in China.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingThe participants were recruited through the internet and one child health centre of a tertiary hospital in Changsha, China.ParticipantsA total of 346 parents of children with FA were recruited using a convenience sampling method. After excluding the invalid questionnaires, 330 questionnaires were included for the analysis.Outcome measuresThe data of general and disease-specific information of children with FA and their parents, as well as parental burden, social support and coping style of parents, were collected using a self-developed questionnaire and standard measurement tools with good psychometric properties. Univariate analysis and multivariate stepwise regression analysis were used to analyse the data.ResultsFinancial affordability regarding their children’s FA and parents’ social support were key protective factors against parental burden (β=−0.224, p