Friends, Family, and Food: Development of a Food Allergy Intervention, F3-App, for Children

Objective: Despite a marked increase in the prevalence of pediatric immunoglobulin E-mediated food allergy (FA) in recent decades, there is a dearth of age-appropriate management education and support tools for youth with FA. The purpose of this report is to detail our methods for intervention design and refinement of an interactive educational software program for school-aged children with FA. Method: Development of the "Friends, Family, and Food Application (F3-App)" employed an iterative, user-centered design approach with input from children with FA, their caregivers, and other key experts. Phase 1 (prototype development/pilot evaluation) involved family input on key themes and educational messages, development of a prototype, and pilot testing. Phase 2 (full F3-App development/open trial) included refinement and expansion of the prototype per advisory panel and end-user recommendations, followed by an open trial with additional iterative refinement. Results: Acceptability and credibility of the F3-App were rated highly by most participants. Relatively few technical challenges arose with F3-App installation or use. Follow-up interviews with children and caregivers suggested that the F3-App was generally well received, families found the content useful, and that it prompted family discussion about the child's FA management. Conclusions: User input is critical to developing family-friendly software to support management of pediatric chronic conditions. Interactive educational software can be a useful channel for children to practice skills and build confidence in disease self-management and to facilitate family communication regarding the stresses of FA management.