Development of a measure to assess factors associated with college students’ Willingness and Readiness to Act in a Food Allergic Emergency (WilRAFAE): A pilot

The rise of food allergies and anaphylaxis in the US population is an emerging public health concern. Individuals living with life-threatening food allergies may require assistance during an anaphylactic emergency to keep safe. In the absence of existing tools, the development of a measure to assess college students’ Willingness and Readiness to Act in a Food Allergic Emergency (WilRAFAE) was sought as an initial step in identifying those willing and ready to act on a college campus. Data were collected from a convenience sample of college students enrolled in 2016–2017 school year in a suburban Catholic college in New York metropolitan area. Survey items were identified through literature review, and experts’ opinions, and were completed by college students. Items were tested for reliability using total interitem correlation, with several items removed to reduce burden and to improve the alpha. Knowledge (.814) and Bystander’s Likelihood to Respond (.874) scales had strong internal consistency reliability validities. The results were statistically significant with the knowledge mean scores for registered nurses (RNs) significantly higher than the mean scores for freshman nursing students. Construct validity testing using three known groups, yielded a statistically significant score for selected items. Based on the findings of this pilot study a full scale college-based study would be desired to further test WilRAFAE instrument.