Vandenplas, YvanAlFrayh, Abdulrahman SalehAlMutairi, BandarElhalik, Mahmoud SalahGreen, Robin J.Haddad, JosephKoshak, Emad AbdulqaderMiqdady, MohamadMouane, NezhaSalah, MohamedSamy, GamalTavakol, MarziehVon Berg, AndreaSzajewska, Hania2017-08-112017-08-112017-05-05Vandenplas Y., AlFrayh A.S., AlMutairi B., Elhalik M.S., Green, Robin J., Haddad J., Koshak E.A., Miqdady M., Mouane N., Salah M., Samy G., Tavakol M., Von Berg A. & Szajewska H. 2017, 'Physician practice in food allergy prevention in the Middle East and North Africa', BMC Pediatrics, vol. 17, art. no. 118, pp. 1-6.1471-2431 (online)10.1186/s12887-017-0871-3http://hdl.handle.net/2263/61621Additional file 1: Survey questionnaire in English.Additional file 2: Survey data tables.BACKGROUND : A number of scientific organisations have developed guidelines for the primary prevention of allergic disease through nutritional interventions. However, even if the best evidence-based guidelines are available, these guidelines do not necessarily lead to adherence and improved health outcomes. METHOD : To determine how closely the practice of physicians in select Middle Eastern and North African countries compares with the current recommendations on the primary prevention of allergy a survey study was performed using a structured questionnaire and convenience sampling. RESULTS : A total of 1481 physicians responded, of which 66.1% were pediatricians. A total of 76.6% of responding physicians routinely identify infants who are at risk for developing allergy. In infants at risk for developing allergy, 89.1% recommend exclusive breastfeeding for at least 4 months. In contrast to current recommendations, 51.6% routinely recommend avoidance of any allergenic food in the lactating mother. In infants at risk of developing allergy who are completely formula fed, standard infant formula was recommended by 22.5% of responders. Of the responding physicians, 50.6% would recommend delaying the introduction of complementary food in infants at risk of allergy compared to those not at risk, whereas 62.5% would recommend postponing the introduction of potentially allergenic foods. Only 6.6% stated they follow all current recommendations on food allergy prevention. CONCLUSION : The results of this survey suggest that a substantial part of responding physicians from select Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries do not follow current recommendations on primary prevention of allergic disease through nutritional interventions.en© The Author(s). 2017. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).AllergyAtopyPreventionBreastfeedingHydrolysed formulaComplementary feedingArticle