Food and Drug Reactions and AnaphylaxisPrevalence of peanut and tree nut allergy in the United States determined by means of a random digit dial telephone survey: A 5-year follow-up study☆
Section snippets
Survey methods
The survey was a nationwide, cross-sectional, computer-assisted telephone interview of households performed by the same agency that conducted the study between April and June 1997 (IMR, Inc, an AdvancePCS Company, Hunt Valley, Md).1 A random sampling of telephone numbers was generated by the Genesys Sampling System (Fort Washington, Pa). Nonresidential calls were excluded from analysis. Interviews were conducted from June 24, 2002, to August 7, 2002, by trained telephone medical interviewers. A
Participation rate
A total of 9252 households were contacted: 3503 (37.9%) refused to participate, and an additional 894 (9.7%) were ineligible (age <18 years, 57; language barrier, 524; confusion or hearing problems, 248; and willing but ultimately unable to schedule interview, 65). The total of 4855 participating households represented a census of 13,493 individuals. The overall participation rate of 4855 (52%) households was lower than that of the 1997 survey (67%).
Demographic characteristics of participants and reported rates of peanut and TN allergy
A total of 155 (3.2%; 95% CI, 2.7%-3.7%)
Discussion
Peanut and TN allergies are particularly severe, common, and rarely outgrown.1, 3, 8, 9 Previous anecdotal reports from the United States10 and the United Kingdom4 have described an increase in sensitization and prevalence, respectively. Recently, Grundy et al5 reported peanut sensitization and reactivity in a birth cohort of 3- and 4-year-old children on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, born between 1994 and 1996 and compared the results with those of a cohort born in 1989. They documented a
Acknowledgments
We thank Joshua Liberman, PhD, and Christina Davis of IMR, Inc (an AdvancePCS Company, Hunt Valley, Md), for assistance with data management and analysis.
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Supported by the Food Allergy Initiative, New York, the Jaffe Family Foundation, and the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.
- 1
SHS is supported by K23 AI 01709 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Disease
- 2
HAS is supported by AI 44236 and AI 43668.