[Content and quality of web-based health information for the prevention and prediction of food allergies in children: A systematic evaluation].

Introduction: Web-based health information can support health-related decisions if it is of high quality, i. e. accurate, understandable and barrier-free. Our study systematically searched for German-language, web-based health information on the prevention and prediction of food allergies in children and assessed their content and quality.

Methods: In July 2022, four researchers conducted a systematic Google search for German-language web-based health information (HI) on the prediction and prevention of food allergies in children. They searched independently of each other with a predefined search algorithm. Two independent reviewers analyzed the data using qualitative and quantitative content analysis (step/analysis 1) and assessed the quality of HI (step/analysis 2) using a comprehensive criteria catalog (transparency, text design, content, language, presentation of frequencies and statistical information, visualization, and accessibility).

Results: The systematic search yielded 59 websites, which were provided by nine sectors. The most frequent sectors were "Health portals and expert opinions" and "Guidelines/scientific and medical specialized information" (22% each). The content analysis (step 1) showed, among other things, that the topic of prediction was only implicitly addressed. 49 materials (83%) contained guideline-compliant information. However, there were also 26 materials (44%) whose content was not in line with the current S3 guideline on allergy prevention. Quality assessment (step 2) revealed that only a small number of the 43 HI received good or very good ratings regarding the transparency (n = 3, 7%) and content (n = 9, 21%) criteria. The criterion concerning frequencies and statistical information was rated good or very good quality in only 11 HI (26%). Almost all HI met the quality criteria for language (n = 38, 88%), text design (n = 43, 100%), and visualization (n = 43, 100%). None of the evaluated HI was given a good or very good rating in terms of accessibility criteria. The analysis by sector revealed only minor differences (mean of the seven criteria: 56-69%).

Conclusion: The quality of the available web-based health information on the prevention and prediction of food allergies in children is highly heterogeneous. There is need for improvement in terms of accessibility, content (e. g., selective presentation of prevention measures), and transparency (e. g., missing details of contacts). Further research is needed for expanding the user perspective and analyzing social media in the context of prediction and prevention of food allergies in children.