NEW YORK—Approximately 35 percent of children aged 5 and older who have food allergies reported to have experienced bullying, teasing or harassment as a result of their allergies, according to a new study from Mount Sinai Medical Center.
According to the findings published in the October issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, of the children who were teased or harassed, 86 percent were reported to have experienced repeated episodes. Classmates were the most common perpetrators; however, more than 20 percent reported harassment or teasing from teachers and other school staff.
Researchers analyzed survey responses from 353 parents or caregivers of children with food allergies and food-allergic individuals. The survey was conducted at meetings of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network in Tarrytown, N.Y., Rosemont, Ill., and Baltimore in 2009.
More than 43 percent were reported to have had the allergen waved in their face and 64 percent were reported as having experienced verbal teasing. No allergic reactions resulted from the bullying, but approximately 65 percent reported resulting feelings of depression and embarrassment.
"We know that food allergy in children affects quality of life and causes issues like anxiety, depression, and stress for them and their parents," said Scott H. Sicherer, MD, professor of pediatrics, Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "Our study is the first to explore teasing, harassment and bullying behaviors aimed at these children. The results are disturbing, as they show that children not only have to struggle with managing their food allergies, but also commonly bear harassment from their peers."
"It was recently estimated that nearly one in 25 children has a food allergy," Sicherer said. "What is so concerning about these results is the high rate of teasing, harassment and bullying, its impact on these vulnerable children, and the fact that perpetrators include not only other children, but adults as well. Considering the seriousness of food allergy, these unwanted behaviors risk not only adverse emotional outcomes, but physical risks as well. It is clear that efforts to rectify this issue must address a better understanding of food allergies as well as strict no-bullying programs in schools."
