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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Allergy
Sec. Food Allergy
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/falgy.2025.1544496

Self-reported food allergies in early childhood in rural Australia

Provisionally accepted
Heinrich C Weber Heinrich C Weber 1,2*Gaylene Bassett Gaylene Bassett 1Sukhwinder Singh Sohal Sukhwinder Singh Sohal 3Sarah Jane Prior Sarah Jane Prior 2
  • 1 Tasmanian Health Service (THS), Hobart, Australia
  • 2 Tasmanian School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
  • 3 University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The prevalence of childhood food allergies is escalating, with Australia notably affected. Research primarily originates from urban centres, leaving rural areas underrepresented. This study examines food allergy prevalence among 105289 grade 1 and 2 children in regional and rural Tasmania. Method Diagnosis relied on validated parental self-reports and identified anaphylaxis by symptoms coupled with breathing difficulties. Results The median participant age was 8.1 years. Food allergy prevalence stood at 8.52% (n=89), with cow's milk, peanuts/nuts, and eggs as primary allergens. Anaphylaxis prevalence was 18.0% (n=16) of participants with food allergies, predominantly triggered by peanuts/nuts, eggs, and shellfish. Conclusion The study delves into reactions to non-allergenic foods and associated avoidance leading to increased morbidity. This report contributes valuable insights to the insufficiently documented landscape of food allergy prevalence, shedding light on a poorly described aspect.

    Keywords: food allergy, Paediatric, childhood, rural, Self-reported

    Received: 12 Dec 2024; Accepted: 07 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Weber, Bassett, Sohal and Prior. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Heinrich C Weber, Tasmanian Health Service (THS), Hobart, Australia

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