Nut Allergies; Public Often Wary And Prejudice Study Finds

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Main Category: Allergy
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 17 Aug 2011 - 11:00 PDT window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({ appId: 'aa16a4bf93f23f07eb33109d5f1134d3', status: true, cookie: true, xfbml: true, channelUrl: 'http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/scripts/facebooklike.html'}); }; (function() { var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true; e.src = document.location.protocol + '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js'; document.getElementById('fb-root').appendChild(e); }()); email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Nut allergies can be scary enough. Those with them, especially when young, don't even know they can't eat the fruits, and symptoms include a rapid progression to anaphylaxis and plain fear. However, now it is being reported that to add more strife in children, they are getting bullied over it. According to a new study conducted in the United Kingdom, families with children who are living with this potentially life-threatening condition often feel isolated, stigmatized, or unfairly excluded from activities, due to the allergies.

Amanda Santos from Massachusetts explains what happened to her daughter:

"They (the school) knew going in that she had an allergy; they said it was no problem. But until we sat down and had a meeting about the precautions they'd have to take, such as kids washing their hands, asking parents not to send nuts to school, that kind of thing, they didn't realize how severe it was. I just think they didn't want her there, didn't want to deal with all of that."

Parents interviewed for the study frequently encountered skepticism or hostility when they tried to explain their children's allergies to others. Birthday parties became "nightmares," and even just sending kids to school or leaving them with friends or family was terrifying.

In the lunchroom at school, children might feel bullied. "She was teased and things like that, people saying...'I've got nuts and I'm gonna come and touch you,'" said one participant.

At a social gathering, the hosts thought the family was overdramatizing the problem. "We got invited up for a party...gave them a list of what he could eat," said one study participant. "[We] walked in there and I couldn't believe my eyes, big bowls of peanuts in between all the food."

Forgetful or disbelieving relatives aren't uncommon either. In one family, a grandparent gave a child candy with nuts. "Now whether it was deliberate or not, I don't know, but I blew a fuse," said one participant. "I suppose in my heart of hearts I felt that he'd given it deliberately; my husband doesn't want to believe that his father would do that."

If you suffer from a nut allergy, strictly avoiding nuts, including peanuts and tree nuts like cashews and walnuts, and food containing nuts is the only way to prevent a reaction. But, it is not always easy to avoid these foods since many unsuspecting products contain nuts.

Peanuts are the most common food trigger of life-threatening anaphylactic shock, accounting for more than half of all fatal food-induced allergic reactions. Peanut allergies are on the rise, doubling in children between 1997 and 2002. About 1% of children in the U.S. have peanut allergies.

Along with the rise in nut allergies have come more restrictions on schools and other public places, including nut-free classrooms and airplanes, as well as better labeling for products. In recent years, there has been a bit of backlash against the greater focus on nut allergies.

Brian P. Vickery, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine, in Durham says:

"Generally speaking, the public awareness of food allergy in the U.S. has increased, and this has resulted in some real benefits to families. For example, manufacturers are now required to put clearer labels on food items, many restaurants can provide better experiences, and schools are often more prepared to handle children with allergies."

Written by Sy Kraft
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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Posted in: Allergies,Finds,Often,Prejudice,Public,Study

Nut Allergies; Public Often Wary And Prejudice Study Finds

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Allergy
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 17 Aug 2011 - 11:00 PDT window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({ appId: 'aa16a4bf93f23f07eb33109d5f1134d3', status: true, cookie: true, xfbml: true, channelUrl: 'http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/scripts/facebooklike.html'}); }; (function() { var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true; e.src = document.location.protocol + '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js'; document.getElementById('fb-root').appendChild(e); }()); email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Nut allergies can be scary enough. Those with them, especially when young, don't even know they can't eat the fruits, and symptoms include a rapid progression to anaphylaxis and plain fear. However, now it is being reported that to add more strife in children, they are getting bullied over it. According to a new study conducted in the United Kingdom, families with children who are living with this potentially life-threatening condition often feel isolated, stigmatized, or unfairly excluded from activities, due to the allergies.

Amanda Santos from Massachusetts explains what happened to her daughter:

"They (the school) knew going in that she had an allergy; they said it was no problem. But until we sat down and had a meeting about the precautions they'd have to take, such as kids washing their hands, asking parents not to send nuts to school, that kind of thing, they didn't realize how severe it was. I just think they didn't want her there, didn't want to deal with all of that."

Parents interviewed for the study frequently encountered skepticism or hostility when they tried to explain their children's allergies to others. Birthday parties became "nightmares," and even just sending kids to school or leaving them with friends or family was terrifying.

In the lunchroom at school, children might feel bullied. "She was teased and things like that, people saying...'I've got nuts and I'm gonna come and touch you,'" said one participant.

At a social gathering, the hosts thought the family was overdramatizing the problem. "We got invited up for a party...gave them a list of what he could eat," said one study participant. "[We] walked in there and I couldn't believe my eyes, big bowls of peanuts in between all the food."

Forgetful or disbelieving relatives aren't uncommon either. In one family, a grandparent gave a child candy with nuts. "Now whether it was deliberate or not, I don't know, but I blew a fuse," said one participant. "I suppose in my heart of hearts I felt that he'd given it deliberately; my husband doesn't want to believe that his father would do that."

If you suffer from a nut allergy, strictly avoiding nuts, including peanuts and tree nuts like cashews and walnuts, and food containing nuts is the only way to prevent a reaction. But, it is not always easy to avoid these foods since many unsuspecting products contain nuts.

Peanuts are the most common food trigger of life-threatening anaphylactic shock, accounting for more than half of all fatal food-induced allergic reactions. Peanut allergies are on the rise, doubling in children between 1997 and 2002. About 1% of children in the U.S. have peanut allergies.

Along with the rise in nut allergies have come more restrictions on schools and other public places, including nut-free classrooms and airplanes, as well as better labeling for products. In recent years, there has been a bit of backlash against the greater focus on nut allergies.

Brian P. Vickery, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine, in Durham says:

"Generally speaking, the public awareness of food allergy in the U.S. has increased, and this has resulted in some real benefits to families. For example, manufacturers are now required to put clearer labels on food items, many restaurants can provide better experiences, and schools are often more prepared to handle children with allergies."

Written by Sy Kraft
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

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Posted in: Allergies,Finds,Often,Prejudice,Public,Study

Prejudice Towards Life-Threatening Nut Allergies

Main Category: Allergy
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 16 Aug 2011 - 2:00 PDT window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({ appId: 'aa16a4bf93f23f07eb33109d5f1134d3', status: true, cookie: true, xfbml: true, channelUrl: 'http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/scripts/facebooklike.html'}); }; (function() { var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true; e.src = document.location.protocol + '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js'; document.getElementById('fb-root').appendChild(e); }()); email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Parents of nut-allergy sufferers face hostility and scepticism in trying to find safe environments for their children, a new study has found.

Researchers found that parents are routinely made to feel by friends and even family that their child's nut allergy is a 'frivolous and self indulgent fad invented and maintained by attention-seeking people.'

Children in the study described how they were bullied by classmates saying, "I've got nuts and I'm gonna touch you!"

The research by a team from the University of Leicester, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the Children's Allergy Clinic at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust has found that children suffering from potentially deadly nut allergies often struggle with negative attitudes and unhelpful food labelling.

Funded by Midlands Asthma and Allergy Research Association (MAARA), the researchers interviewed 26 families about the techniques and strategies they use to cope in various situations. Their findings, published in the journal Chronic Illness, point to a need to raise awareness of the dangers associated with nut allergy.

Professor Mary Dixon-Woods from the University of Leicester Department of Health Sciences said: "Nut allergy was a frightening experience for most families. One mother described how her son's eyes "swelled up completely so you could hardly see his pupils." This child, like many others in the study, had to be rushed to hospital after his first reaction.

Parents in the study described taking multiple precautions to ensure their child was safe, including creating nut-free environments at home. But when they tried to get others to cooperate in keeping their child safe from nuts, they could encounter hostility and scepticism. "People's approaches ranged from scepticism, disbelief and in some cases complete lack of care, which could put the child in danger," said author Dr Emma Pitchforth.

One parent said receiving birthday party invitations was a "nightmare" because other children's parents think nut allergy "is a bit faddy," and don't realize it can be life-threatening. Other parents described incidents where they suspected that people - including family and friends - had deliberately given their child nuts to test if the allergy was real.

Nut allergy was a source of ongoing anxiety for families, who can find themselves socially isolated and excluded. "Families felt they could never fully rely on anyone, including friends and relatives", said Janet Willars, who interviewed the families. "Despite their best intentions, friends and families were not always able to give full attention to the child's safe-keeping."

Vague packaging on foods and uninformed service staff at some restaurants and supermarkets all added to families' problems. It was sometimes so hard to find out whether food contained nuts that families resorted to cooking every meal from scratch and never eating out or accepting invitations to social occasions, say the researchers.

The research team includes Dr David Luyt, a consultant who diagnoses and treats children with allergies in Leicester. He recommends better public education about the dangers of nut allergy. "These parents and children see a society that is willing and able to accommodate vegetarians and many others with dietary restrictions, but not them," he said. "This research is a wake-up call for improvement in food production and labelling to help families and children maintain a safe environment and reduce stress and difficulties," he added.

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions

MediLexicon International Ltd
Bexhill-on-Sea, UK
MediLexicon International Ltd © 2004-2011 All rights reserved.

Read more »

Posted in: Allergies,LifeThreatening,Prejudice,Towards