Awareness of gluten-related disorders: A survey of the general public, chefs and patients

SummaryBackground & aimsWe sought to establish the level of knowledge of celiac disease (CD) and gluten sensitivity (GS) among the general public and chefs, and to compare dining habits of people with CD and the general public.MethodsSurveys assessing knowledge of CD and GS as well as dining habits were administered through an Internet survey tool or face-to-face. The chef survey also assessed training/education.ResultsAmong 861 persons from the general public 47% had heard of CD, 67% of GS and 88% of peanut allergy. Chefs were more likely than the general public to have heard of CD (77% vs. 47%, p < 0.0001), though greater proportions in both groups had heard of GS (89% vs. 67%, p < 0.0001). 63% of patients (n = 790) reported that they avoid restaurants because of the gluten-free diet and ate take-out food and restaurant food significantly less often than the general public. Trained chefs had more knowledge than untrained chefs (83% vs. 52%, p < 0.0001). There was a direct relationship between the average check price and chefs’ awareness (<$25: 64% vs. >$65: 94%, p < 0.0001).ConclusionsAwareness of gluten-related issues was prominent. Surprisingly, both the public and chefs were more likely to have heard of GS than CD. Most with CD avoid restaurants, and eat outside the home less frequently than the general public. Knowledge of CD among chefs exceeds that of the general public, but varies considerably.