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Delivering a Healthy WA
Anaphylaxis

Results of the WA Anaphylaxis School & Child Care Survey 2008

Background

In November 2008, the Western Australian Department of Health undertook a state-wide survey on schools and child care services to obtain benchmark data on the prevalence of anaphylaxis and the management of children at risk. A total of 658 schools (59%) and 389 child care services (29%), from both government and non government sectors, responded to the survey.

Thank you to all those who participated in the survey. The valuable information you have provided has greatly assisted the development of education and training resources and will enable us to monitor prevalence rates and the management of anaphylaxis in the future.

Key Findings – Schools:

  • 1 in 74 students were identified as ‘at risk’ of anaphylaxis (total of 3,174 students)
  • 82.7% of schools have at least 1 student ‘at risk’ of anaphylaxis, over 50% have 3 or more at risk students.
  • 1 in 7 schools (n=90) had at least 1 student who had a reaction in the last 12 months
  • 78.6% of schools prepare healthcare plans for their ‘at-risk’ students.
  • 69% of at risk children have a prescribed EpiPen® stored at school and 19% carry one with them.
  • 49% of teaching and 39.1% of non teaching staff attended EpiPen® training in the last 12 months.
  • 42% of schools were unaware of staff anaphylaxis training options available.

Key Findings – Child Care:

  • 1 in 55 children have been identified as ‘at risk’ of anaphylaxis (total of 491 children)
  • Over 50% of services have at least 1 child ‘at risk’ of anaphylaxis, 18.5% have 3 or more at risk children.
  • 1 in 30 services (n=12) had at least 1 child who had a reaction in the last 12 months
  • 67% of services prepare healthcare plans for their ‘at-risk’ children.
  • 60.5% children at risk of anaphylaxis have an EpiPen® stored at child care.
  • 33% staff attended EpiPen® training in the last 12 months
  • 42.2% were unaware of staff anaphylaxis training options available

Recommendations:

  • The results of the study show that the majority of WA schools and child care services now have at least one enrolled child at risk of anaphylaxis, which highlights the severity of the situation and supports the State Government’s commitment in 2007 to a WA Anaphylaxis Plan.
  • There were encouraging results on the management of anaphylaxis among schools and child care services however, inconsistencies in approach and uncertainty among participants highlight the need for standardised guidelines and training, work which is currently underway by AMIG.

Full Analyses Report (20pgs):

» Schools Survey Report (PDF 445KB)

» Child Care Services Survey Report (PDF 493KB)

Acknowledgments

The project is a major collaborative success between Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education and Training (DET), Department for Communities (DFC), Department for Child Protection (DCP), Anaphylaxis Australia, the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Catholic Education, the Association of Independent Schools, Dietitians and GP’s. This project will assist in the prevention of adverse allergic reactions in our WA children and we thank you for your contribution to this effort.