A Third Of Kids With Food Allergies Bullied

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine, at Mount Sinai, found that one in three kids surveyed were bullied. Although an estimated eight percent of U.S. children are diagnosed with allergies to foods—such as peanuts, tree-nuts, milk, eggs, and shellfish—nearly half of their parents weren't aware of the bullying.

 

Sadly, both the kids and their parents reported higher stress levels and lower quality of life—though it wasn't clear whether this was due to the bullying, the allergies, or a combination of the two.

 

Published online at Pediatrics, the study "Child and Parental Reports of Bullying in a Consecutive Sample of Children with Food Allergy," followed more than 250 allergic kids and their parents.

 

"Parents and pediatricians should routinely ask children with food allergy about bullying," said Eyal Shemesh, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine, at Mount Sinai. "Finding out about the child's experience might allow targeted interventions, and would be expected to reduce additional stress and improve quality of life for these children trying to manage their food allergies."