Prevalence of parent-reported food allergy among children in China: A population-based cross-sectional survey

Hua Feng; Nan Luo; Yuanan Lu; Justin Lu; Jiangdong Zhou; Xiujuan Xiong; Zhuo Chen; Yan Chen; Yongning Wu

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.982660

Prevalence of parent-reported food allergy among children in China: A population-based cross-sectional survey

Front Immunol. 2022 Dec 12:13:982660. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.982660. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Hua Feng^{1

2}, Nan Luo², Yuanan Lu³, Justin Lu³, Jiangdong Zhou⁴, Xiujuan Xiong⁵, Zhuo Chen⁶, Yan Chen⁷, Yongning Wu^{1

7}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
² School of Public Health, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
³ Environmental Health Laboratory, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Hawaii, Hawaii, HI, United States.
⁴ Fengxin Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangxi, Yichun, China.
⁵ Department of Pathology, Basic Medical College of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
⁶ Sino German Joint Research Institute, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
⁷ Research Unit of Food Safety, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, National Health Commission (NHC), Key Lab of Food Safety Risk Assessment, China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA), Beijing, China.

Abstract

Objective: The prevalence of food allergy (FA) has been increasing in recent years and has become an important public health, food safety, and clinical nutrition problem. However, population-based studies on the prevalence of FA are very limited in China. This study aims to determine the prevalence and pattern of parent-reported FA among school children in Jiangxi Province, China.

Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study on FA was conducted on primary school children aged 6-11 years old using random cluster sampling with a questionnaire survey. Parent-reported FA was used and defined as individual-reported FA by parent or guardian through a questionnaire in this study.

Result: Among the total of 8,856 (96.36%) complete questionnaires received, 727 (8.2%) children had adverse reactions to food (ARF). The prevalence rates of parent-reported FA and doctor-diagnosed FA were 6.2% and 3.3%, respectively. Animal-derived foods were the main causative source of FA, and the three leading allergenic foods were shrimp, mango, and mollusks. Skin reactions were the most common clinical manifestations of FA, accounting for 63.7%, and 45.32% of the subjects with parent-reported FA experienced severe allergic reactions. There was a significant difference in parent-reported FA between different survey centers, and FA risk increased significantly in children with other allergic diseases (P<0.001) and small family size (P=0.026). The FA prevalence was significantly higher among children aged 8-11 years than those aged 6-7 years (P=0.020).

Conclusions: A high prevalence of parent-reported FA was observed among children in general primary schools in Jiangxi Province, China. Shrimp, mango, and mollusks were the most common causative foods. The main common symptoms of FA were adverse reactions relating to the skin system. The rate of severe allergic reactions was also high in Jiangxi Children with reported FA. Local standards and policies for the prevention and management of FA need to be adjusted on a timely basis according to actual local conditions.

Keywords: adverse reactions; cross-sectional study; food allergy; prevalence; questionnaire survey.

Publication types

Multicenter Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Allergens
Animals
China / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Crustacea
Food Hypersensitivity* / diagnosis
Food Hypersensitivity* / epidemiology
Prevalence
Seafood

Substances

Allergens