Medical management of vegetarian and vegan children in France: Medical practices and parents’ perceptions

IF 1.3 4区医学 Q3 PEDIATRICS Archives De Pediatrie Pub Date : 2024-02-01 DOI:10.1016/j.arcped.2023.10.006

Marion Barbier , Irène Boisseau , Julie Lemale , Marie Chevallier , Guillaume Mortamet

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Abstract

Objectives

Despite a significant increase in the prevalence of vegetarianism and veganism in children in France, data on the care pathway of these children are scarce. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of the medical follow-up of vegan/vegetarian children, to evaluate the medical practices, and to analyze the perceptions of parents.

Materials and methods

This was a double cross-sectional survey. One questionnaire was sent to parents of vegetarian/vegan children, and the other to French doctors (pediatricians or general practitioners).

Results

A total of 241 vegetarian families responded to the study and nearly one quarter (n = 67, 28 %) were unsatisfied with the medical follow-up of their child. Parents considered that their child's diet was responsible for refusing a medical consultation in 11 % (n = 27) of cases. In almost one third of cases (n = 70, 29 %), participants declared that the doctor was unaware of their child's diet. Vitamin B₁₂ supplementation was commonly used (n = 195, 81 %), mainly by self-medication, and laboratory testing was performed for 30 % (n = 72) of children. Regarding the questionnaire for doctors, most of the participants (n = 318/501, 63 %) reported having vegetarian/vegan children in their cohort. A few of them (n = 70, 14 %) declared they did not systematically screen for meat and fish consumption during consultations. Doctors caring for vegetarian/vegan children had 27 % correct answers to questions regarding the nutrition guidelines. Overall, 36 % of them (n = 117) systematically referred the child to a specialist.

Conclusion

The medical follow-up of vegetarian/vegan children in France is very heterogeneous. Parents and doctors alike stressed the need to develop reliable sources of knowledge. A systematic screening of the diet and a referral to a specialist could help to improve the management of vegetarian/vegan children.

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法国素食和纯素儿童的医疗管理：医疗实践和家长的看法

目的尽管法国儿童素食主义和纯素主义的流行率大幅上升，但有关这些儿童的护理途径的数据却很少。本研究旨在描述素食/纯素儿童医疗跟踪的特点，评估医疗实践，并分析家长的看法。结果共有 241 个素食家庭对研究做出了回应，近四分之一（n = 67，28%）的家庭对其子女的医疗跟踪不满意。在 11% 的案例中（n = 27），家长认为孩子的饮食习惯是拒绝就诊的原因。在近三分之一的病例中（70 例，29%），参与者称医生不了解他们孩子的饮食情况。维生素 B12 补充剂的使用很普遍（n = 195，81%），主要是通过自我药物治疗，30% 的儿童（n = 72）进行了实验室检测。关于医生问卷调查，大多数参与者（n = 318/501，63%）表示他们的队列中有素食/纯素儿童。其中少数人（n = 70，14%）声称他们在问诊时没有系统地筛查肉类和鱼类的摄入量。照顾素食/纯素儿童的医生对营养指南相关问题的正确回答率为 27%。总的来说，其中 36% 的医生（n = 117）会系统地将儿童转介给专科医生。家长和医生都强调需要开发可靠的知识来源。对饮食进行系统筛查并转诊至专科医生，有助于改善对素食/纯素儿童的管理。

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来源期刊

Archives De Pediatrie 医学-小儿科

CiteScore

2.80

自引率

5.60%

发文量

106

审稿时长

24.1 weeks

期刊介绍： Archives de Pédiatrie publishes in English original Research papers, Review articles, Short communications, Practice guidelines, Editorials and Letters in all fields relevant to pediatrics. Eight issues of Archives de Pédiatrie are released annually, as well as supplementary and special editions to complete these regular issues. All manuscripts submitted to the journal are subjected to peer review by international experts, and must: Be written in excellent English, clear and easy to understand, precise and concise; Bring new, interesting, valid information - and improve clinical care or guide future research; Be solely the work of the author(s) stated; Not have been previously published elsewhere and not be under consideration by another journal; Be in accordance with the journal''s Guide for Authors'' instructions: manuscripts that fail to comply with these rules may be returned to the authors without being reviewed. Under no circumstances does the journal guarantee publication before the editorial board makes its final decision. Archives de Pédiatrie is the official publication of the French Society of Pediatrics.