Support and help from friends, family and school was linked to less risk-taking among adolescents with food allergies, according to research published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The study surveyed young adults with food allergies and found students who had an individualized accommodation plan at school, were significantly less likely to take risks with their food allergies.
“We know that many adolescents and young adults with food allergies regularly engage in behaviors that increase their risk of a life-threatening reaction, such as eating in restaurants without asking about allergenic ingredients,” said senior author Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, pediatrician and researcher at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
Other influences linked to less risk-taking included having a peanut allergy, supportive female friends and an overprotective mother.
“Our findings underscore that support is critical for these young people. Our results also suggest that school-level policies may promote reduced risk-taking behavior in teens with food allergies.”
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