SmartStartAllergy - a novel SMS and smartphone based application to monitor infants starting solid foods and support implementation of infant feeding guidelines

Participants in the intervention group receive SMS when their infants are 6 of age to ask if their child has started eating solid foods (6 months only). If the response is yes, a second message asks whether they have eaten foods with peanut, and then a third message asks if they have had an allergic reaction to any food. At 9 months of age, the first SMS sent is dependent on the responses provided at 6 months. If the participant had not eaten foods with peanut at 6 months of age, the first question is "Since we contacted you 3 months ago, has *name of child* eaten foods with peanut?" If the participant had already eaten peanut at 6 months, the first question at 9 months is "Since we contacted you 3 months ago, has *name of child* had an allergic reaction to any food?". Participants who reply "No" to the question about eating foods with peanut at 6 or 9 months of age receive a further SMS with the following advice: "Allergy prevention guidelines suggest giving peanut paste before 12 months. See bit.ly/_NAS or speak to your GP." The shortened URL link (bit.ly/_NAS) to the website www.preventallergies.org.au, which contains publicly available resources for infant feeding and allergy prevention. Participants will also receive a personalised link to complete a web-based questionnaire regarding introduction of common food allergens, any allergic reactions that have occurred, and risk factors for food allergy in the infant. Participant engagement with SmartStartAllergy is assessed by determining the proportion of participants who reply to the SMS questions at each time point. The number of website visits to www.preventallergies.org.au that are directed via the shortened URL, which is not publicly promoted outside this project, is also recorded on a monthly basis.