Food Allergies Spur Serious Anxiety in Most of Those Affected, Survey Finds

FRIDAY, Oct. 4, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- The large majority of people with food allergy, and the caregivers of kids with such allergies, say the condition has led to psychological distress, a new study finds.

However, only about 1 in every 5 such people have ever been assessed and counseled on their anxieties, the same report also found.

“Our research highlights a major unmet need for psychological support for food allergy," said Rebecca Knibb, a professor of psychology at Aston University in Birmingham, England.

The main source of worry: The danger of anaphylaxis, a severe reaction to even small amounts of the food the person or their child is allergic to.

The new study centered on an online survey of more than 1,300 adults with food allergy, as well as more than 1,900 caregivers of children with food allergy. Respondents to the survey came from more than 20 countries.

In total, almost 68% of the adults with food allergy surveyed said that they'd had "direct experience" of psychological distress linked to their condition, as did nearly 78% of those caring for a child with such allergies.

Most of those people said their main source of anxiety was the possibility of anaphylaxis, but "over half felt sadness about the impact of food allergy on their lives [54.1%]," Knibb's team reported.

Among caregivers of kids with food allergy, about 35% worried that the condition could lead to their child being bullied.

There was also the persistent feeling among the parents of children with food allergy that others were dismissive of the dangers it posed.

"Caregivers reported fear of trusting others with care of their child [71%]," the researchers said. "Over half of caregivers reported worry that people do not understand the seriousness of their child's food allergy, even though the caregiver tried to explain it to them [59.7%]."

On the other hand, just 20% of people with food allergy or the parents of children with food allergy had ever been screened by a doctor to their levels of anxiety, the study found.

The main barrier to folks seeking screening and psychological help was cost.

“The cost of support is a significant barrier across all countries in our survey and ways of providing free and easily accessible support is clearly needed," Knibb said in a university news release.

The findings were published recently in the journal Allergy.

More information

Find out more about food allergies at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

SOURCE: Aston University, news release, Oct. 2, 2024