| Summary: | This study aimed to assess parental knowledge, awareness and behaviour on Adverse Reactions to Foods (ARF) and its relation to family's quality of life. In this cross-sectional study, 120 parents of children with documented ARFs in Selangor were recruited. Of these parents, 63.3% and 50.8% exhibited low levels of knowledge and awareness of ARFs, respectively. In terms of dietary practices, 31.7% avoided possible allergenic foods during pregnancy. The study found that 66.7% of children followed the childhood immunization schedule and 32.5% had symptomatic ARFs onset at age 36 months and above. Seafood appeared to be the main cause of ARFs (68%). ARFs appeared to be triggered mainly by environmental factors as reported by 46.7% of respondents. Nearly 56% of parents reported emotional responses associated with caring for ARF children while 8.8% and 17.5% found that ARFs affected relationships with family members and social acquaintances, respectively. A positive association was observed between specific levels of ARF knowledge and parental educational levels (p < 0.05). This findings represent an attempt to provide information for public education in a practical manner that can help optimize and sustain health benefits and overall community well-being.
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