Journal of Allergy / 2017 / Article / Tab 2 / Research Article
Exploring the Concern about Food Allergies among Secondary School and University Students in Ontario, Canada: A Descriptive Analysis Table 2 Characteristics of the high school and university undergraduate participants (Ontario, Canada, circa February 2015) included in this study by survey source and pooled together.
High school University Student Survey [21 ] Pooled data Whole High School Survey [19 ] Food & Nutrition Survey [20 ] Mean age in years (SD) 15.5 (1.2) 15.7 (1.2) 20.5 (1.6) 16.2 (2.1) % female 52.7 67.0 65.0 54.8 % of students who work or volunteer in Restaurant/food service location 16.8 21.7 10.1 16.0 Daycare 2.6 1.9 6.2 3.1 Hospital 11.7 16.0 8.5 11.4 Retirement home/long-term care facility 4.9 4.7 1.9 4.5 % of students who handle food for the public in any of the above settings 18.0 26.4 10.6 17.2 % of students who had previously taken a food preparation course 32.8 32.1 41.1 35.7 % of students by self-described cooking ability “Don’t know how” 5.5 3.9 0.6 4.9 “Can only cook when the instructions are on the box” 10.0 10.7 2.3 9.2 “Can do the basics from scratch (like boil an egg)…” 17.2 12.6 6.7 16.1 “Can prepare simple meals if they have a recipe to follow” 42.8 50.5 50.6 45.4 “Can cook almost anything” 20.9 22.3 39.8 24.3 Mean food allergy perceptions (SD) “I am concerned about food allergies” (stated concern) 3.1 (1.2) 2.7 (1.2) 2.3 (1.3) 3.0 (1.2) “Food allergies are currently a big threat to my health” — 2.2 (1.3) 1.8 (1.1) 1.8 (1.1)
