Living with a nut allergy not easy

Monday, 26 September 2011 11:17

Researchers in the UK have found that parents of nut allergic children are routinely made to feel by friends and even family that their child's allergy is merely an attention-seeking behaviour. Parents often reported being treated as faddy, demanding, and neurotic, and children suffered from teasing and exclusion.

The research was carried out by a team from the London School of Economics and Political

Science, the University of Leicester, and the Children's Allergy Service at University Hospitals of Leicester. The project included interviews with 26 families about the techniques and strategies they use to cope in various situations.

The social consequences of nut allergy were reported to be worsened by poor labelling and control of foods and products containing nuts. These findings point to a need to raise awareness of the dangers associated with nut allergy and improve food production and labelling processes.

Access an online version of this paper here.