Feeding babies foods containing peanut as early as possible can help prevent peanut allergy.
But many parents remain confused about this tactic and require more support to get it right, researchers said in a sturdy published Thursday in JAMA Network Open.
Mistaken beliefs lead some parents to refuse or delay steps that could prevent peanut allergy, researchers said.
"While some parents we talked to understood correctly that starting their baby on peanut foods trains the immune system in order to prevent the development of peanut allergy, other parents mistakenly believed that the purpose is to test if their baby is allergic -- a misconception that fueled fears of severe allergic reaction, leading to hesitation and delays in peanut introduction," lead researcher Dr. Waheeda Samady said in a news release. She's a pediatrician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.
Guidelines recommending early peanut introduction came out in 2017, following groundbreaking research showing it could reduce peanut allergies by more than 80%, researchers said in background notes.
