Food Allergies make Children Vulnerable to Bullying

Children with food allergies are more likely to be bullied at school, researchers reveal.

According to the American Psychological Association, around 70 percent of middle and high school students are bullied every year. About 160,000 children miss school each day, due to fear of being bullied at school.

School bullying impacts a student's physical and academic growth. Efforts have been made to determine the characteristics that make children more vulnerable to bullying at school.  Previous studies have shown that children with observable disabilities, cancer and autism are at a higher risk of bullying at school.

For the current study, a team of researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai interviewed 251 children and their parents. About a third of children with food allergies reported experiencing bullying.  Surprisingly, researchers also found a significant number of parents unaware about their children being bullied at school. Both the parents and their children revealed experiencing high stress levels and poor quality of life.

"Parents and pediatricians should routinely ask children with food allergy about bullying," Eyal Shemesh, who led the study, said in a news release.  "Finding out about the child's experience might allow targeted interventions, and would be expected to reduce additional stress and improve quality of life for these children trying to manage their food allergies."

Cow's milk, eggs, fish, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts and wheat are some common foods that cause allergic reactions among children and adults. About 8 percent of American children below six years suffer from food allergies.

Findings of the study have been published online in Pediatrics.