Socializing practices of Irish children and adolescents with food allergy: a prospective study

Objective The aim of this study was to establish the social practices and eating-out habits of children and adolescents with FA who are already attending an allergy clinic.

Methods Irish children, aged 2 to 16 years, with confirmed FA were recruited as part of a parallel prospective observational study titled Recording Accidental Allergic Reactions in Children and Teenagers (ReAACT). Information on social activities and eating out habits was collected prospectively.

Results A total of 531 children were enrolled. The majority attended age-appropriate social activities; 97% of the 5- to 12-year-olds went to birthday parties and 85% visited friends’ houses. More nonparticipators had previous anaphylaxis (relative risk [RR] = 1.44; 95% CI = 0.97-2.14; P = .06) and peanut allergy (RR = 1.19; 95% CI = 0.99-1.42; P = .06). Among adolescents, 94% visited friends’ homes, but only 12% had been away from home alone. Overall, 523 participants (98.5 %) visited food establishments, whereas 4.6% did not eat out in any food establishment; these participants were significantly more likely to be adolescents (RR = 3.27; 95% CI = 1.65-7.48; P = .0001).

Conclusion Overall, Irish children with FA are “living with allergy.” There was a trend toward decreased participation among adolescents. Future interventions should target this group specifically.