<p class="first" id="d547107e233">A 2015–2016 population-based, cross-sectional survey
was administered to a
sample of US households to estimate current FA prevalence, severity, and health
care use.
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<b>Video Abstract</b>
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<h5 class="section-title" id="d547107e256">BACKGROUND:</h5>
<p id="d547107e258">Childhood food allergy (FA) is a life-threatening chronic condition
that
substantially impairs quality of life. This large, population-based survey
estimates childhood FA prevalence and severity of all major allergenic
foods. Detailed allergen-specific information was also collected regarding
FA management and health care use.
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<h5 class="section-title" id="d547107e261">METHODS:</h5>
<p id="d547107e263">A survey was administered to US households between 2015 and 2016,
obtaining
parent-proxy responses for 38 408 children. Prevalence estimates were
based on responses from NORC at the University of Chicago’s
nationally representative, probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel (51%
completion rate), which were augmented by nonprobability-based responses via
calibration weighting to increase precision. Prevalence was estimated via
weighted proportions. Multiple logistic regression models were used to
evaluate FA predictors.
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<h5 class="section-title" id="d547107e266">RESULTS:</h5>
<p id="d547107e268">Overall, estimated current FA prevalence was 7.6% (95% confidence
interval:
7.1%–8.1%) after excluding 4% of children whose parent-reported FA
reaction history was inconsistent with immunoglobulin E–mediated FA.
The most prevalent allergens were peanut (2.2%), milk (1.9%), shellfish
(1.3%), and tree nut (1.2%). Among food-allergic children, 42.3% reported
≥1 severe FA and 39.9% reported multiple FA. Furthermore, 19.0%
reported ≥1 FA-related emergency department visit in the previous
year and 42.0% reported ≥1 lifetime FA-related emergency department
visit, whereas 40.7% had a current epinephrine autoinjector prescription.
Prevalence rates were higher among African American children and children
with atopic comorbidities.
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<h5 class="section-title" id="d547107e271">CONCLUSIONS:</h5>
<p id="d547107e273">FA is a major public health concern, affecting ∼8% of US children.
However, >11% of children were perceived as food-allergic, suggesting
that the perceived disease burden may be greater than previously
acknowledged.
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