BACKGROUND: There are reports of children and teens with food allergy being harassed because of their food allergy, yet no study to date has attempted to characterize these occurrences. OBJECTIVES: To determine the presence and characteristics of bullying, teasing, or harassment of food-allergic patients owing to their food allergies. METHODS: Questionnaires were completed by food-allergic teens and adults and by parents of food-allergic children. RESULTS: A total of 353 surveys were completed. Because most food-allergic individuals were children, most surveys were completed by parents of food-allergic individuals. The ages of the food-allergic individuals were younger than 4 years (25.9%), 4 to 11 years (55.0%), 12 to 18 years (12.5%), 19 to 25 years (2.6%), and older than 25 years (4.0%). Including all age groups, 24% of respondents reported that the food-allergic individual had been bullied, teased, or harassed because of food allergy. Of those who were bullied, teased, or harassed, 86% reported multiple episodes. Eighty-two percent of episodes occurred at school, and 80% were perpetrated mainly by classmates. Twenty-one percent of those who were bullied, teased, or harassed reported the perpetrators to be teachers or school staff. Overall, 79% of those bullied, teased, or harassed attributed this solely to food allergy. Of those bullied, 57% described physical events, such as being touched by an allergen and having an allergen thrown or waved at them, and several reported intentional contamination of their food with allergen. CONCLUSIONS: Bullying, teasing, and harassment of children with food allergy seems to be common, frequent, and repetitive. These actions pose emotional and physical risks that should be addressed in food allergy management.
BACKGROUND: There are reports of children and teens with food allergy being harassed because of their food allergy, yet no study to date has attempted to characterize these occurrences. OBJECTIVES: To determine the presence and characteristics of bullying, teasing, or harassment of food-allergicpatients owing to their food allergies. METHODS: Questionnaires were completed by food-allergic teens and adults and by parents of food-allergicchildren. RESULTS: A total of 353 surveys were completed. Because most food-allergic individuals were children, most surveys were completed by parents of food-allergic individuals. The ages of the food-allergic individuals were younger than 4 years (25.9%), 4 to 11 years (55.0%), 12 to 18 years (12.5%), 19 to 25 years (2.6%), and older than 25 years (4.0%). Including all age groups, 24% of respondents reported that the food-allergic individual had been bullied, teased, or harassed because of food allergy. Of those who were bullied, teased, or harassed, 86% reported multiple episodes. Eighty-two percent of episodes occurred at school, and 80% were perpetrated mainly by classmates. Twenty-one percent of those who were bullied, teased, or harassed reported the perpetrators to be teachers or school staff. Overall, 79% of those bullied, teased, or harassed attributed this solely to food allergy. Of those bullied, 57% described physical events, such as being touched by an allergen and having an allergen thrown or waved at them, and several reported intentional contamination of their food with allergen. CONCLUSIONS: Bullying, teasing, and harassment of children with food allergy seems to be common, frequent, and repetitive. These actions pose emotional and physical risks that should be addressed in food allergy management.
Authors: Lisa M Bartnikas; Michelle F Huffaker; William J Sheehan; Watcharoot Kanchongkittiphon; Carter R Petty; Robert Leibowitz; Marissa Hauptman; Michael C Young; Wanda Phipatanakul Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol Date: 2017-03-25 Impact factor: 10.793
Authors: Eyal Shemesh; Rachel A Annunziato; Michael A Ambrose; Noga L Ravid; Chloe Mullarkey; Melissa Rubes; Kelley Chuang; Mati Sicherer; Scott H Sicherer Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2012-12-24 Impact factor: 7.124
Authors: Janelle Lee; Janice A Townsend; Tatyana Thompson; Thomas Garitty; Arpan De; Qingzhao Yu; Brian M Peters; Zezhang T Wen Journal: Caries Res Date: 2017-12-15 Impact factor: 4.056