The public health burden of parent-reported food allergy-related missed school days among US children

Background: Food allergy (FA) is a common chronic condition among U.S. children. Children with FA and their families often report greater psychosocial burden, which is adversely impacted by the inability to participate in daily activities. Regularly attending school remains central to supporting the well-being of children with FAs and related academic success.

Objective: The objective was to estimate the frequency of FA-related school absences, determine predictors, and understand how report of such absences is associated with FA-related psychosocial burden.

Methods: A survey was administered to a nationally representative sample of U.S. households in 2015-2016, obtaining parent-proxy responses for 38,408 children. Prevalence estimates were based on responses from NORC's AmeriSpeak Panel (51% completion rate), which were augmented by nonprobability-based responses via calibration weighting to increase precision. Prevalence was estimated via weighted proportions. Multiple logistic regression models evaluated factors associated with FA-related missed school days.

Results: Thirty-seven percent of children with FA who attended school in the past 12 months reportedly had one or more FA-related absence, with 13% missing 1-2 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.41-15.49 days), 17% missing 3-7 days (95% CI, 6.82-10.91 days), and 4% missing 8-14 days (95% CI, 3.13-6.20 days). Hispanic children were more likely to report missed school days in the past 12 months compared with white, non-Hispanic children with FA (odds ratio [OR] 1.62 [95% CI, 1.16-2.26]). Children with multiple FAs (OR 1.35 [95% CI, 1.03-1.76]), history of epinephrine use (OR 2.22 [95% CI, 1.70-2.90]), and anaphylaxis (OR 1.64 [95% CI, 1.26-2.14]) in the past 12 months, and those with a current epinephrine prescription (OR 1.05 [95% CI, 0.075-1.47]) have greater odds of reported FA-related school absence. Report of one or more FA-related absences was also associated with greater FA-related psychosocial burden (OR 1.72 [95% CI, 1.46-2.01]).

Conclusion: Parent report of children missing school for reasons related to FA is remarkably common and associated with greater FA-related psychosocial burden.