Assessment of acceptance of the Crohn’s disease exclusion diet by children with Crohn’s disease and their parents

Introduction
Nutritional therapy based on exclusive enteral nutrition or partial enteral nutrition together with the Crohn’s disease exclusion diet (CDED) is a treatment option for inducing remission in children with Crohn’s disease. The study aimed to evaluate the acceptance of the CDED by children with Crohn’s disease (CD) and their parents.

Material and methods
The data were collected using an original questionnaire between April 2022 and March 2025. The study included 46 children with CD aged 7–18 and 59 parents.

Results
Sixty-one percent of parents and 52.2% of children have consulted a dietitian about the diet. Parents (69.5%) and children (58.7%) also use relevant apps. Most patients accepted the diet, but some needed more time. Thirty-nine percent of parents and 34.8% of children responded that other family members also eat meals according to the CDED. Half the adults said that products are more expensive and need more preparation time than the previous diet. Only 21.7% of CD patients admit that they strictly adhered to the CDED. Children with CD were forced to give up going to restaurants (60.9%) and going on school trips (34.8%). Children also experienced dislike from their peers. Fifty-nine and three tenths percent of parents admitted they gave up going to restaurants with their children because of the diet.

Conclusions
The Crohn’s disease exclusion diet is generally well tolerated by paediatric patients with CD and their parents; though its implementation may be accompanied by psychosocial challenges. These include stigmatisation among peers, parental concerns regarding control of food intake outside the home, and the difficulties children face when eliminating favourite foods. Such factors should be considered when supporting families in long-term dietary management.