Making Infant Feeding of Common Allergens Practical

Infant feeding advice was turned on its head after the publish of the Learning Early About Peanut allergy study in 2015 which showed up to an 86% reduction in peanut allergy among high-risk infants who ate peanut foods early and often in the first year of life. Following the study's publication, international recommendations for feeding infants changed to encourage peanut consumption, including the latest iteration of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. However, more than half a decade later, research shows uptake of this advice has been low and slow among both healthcare providers and caregivers.

Moreover, research has shown that black children and low-income families are at higher risk and disproportionately impacted by food allergy. In this session, a pediatric allergist and registered dietitian discuss the latest research, national guidelines, common barriers to implementation, opportunities for community and public health nutrition interventions, and practical tips for helping families incorporate commonly allergenic foods into infant diets to prevent food allergies.

CPE Level: Level 2 (intermediate knowledge/experience)
CPEU: 1.0

Performance Indicators

• 8.1.1 Interprets and applies evidence-based literature and standards for determining nutritional needs of target audiences.
• 8.2.2 Differentiates between outdated and current evidence-based practice related to the management of diseases and clinical conditions
• 6.2.3 Analyzes and interprets data to form valid conclusions and to make recommendations.

Learning Objectives

• use the latest guidelines for feeding of common allergens during infancy to to maximize the prevention of food allergies in their patients and clients.
• identify and overcome common barriers to early and frequent feeding of common allergens during infancy among HCP and caregivers.
• use practical infant feeding recommendations and dependable tools to reduce parental fear around infant feeding and educate families and HCPs to maximize food allergy prevention.

Moderator

• Sherry Coleman Collins

Speakers

• Sherry Coleman Collins
• Malina Malkani
• Michael Pistiner