African-American and Latino Kids Have Higher Food Allergy Rates

Child (Afro)

A new study focusing on ethnic backgrounds found that children in the United States have higher rates of certain allergies based on their ethnicity. African-American and Latino children had significantly higher likelihoods of certain food allergies than did other ethnicities.

“Food allergy is a prevalent condition in the U.S., but little is known about its characteristics and severity in racial minority groups,” said Mahboobeh Mahdavinia, the study’s principal investigator and an allergy and immunology expert at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

African-American children are more likely to have asthma, eczema, and allergies to what and soy.

The study found a significantly higher number of African-american children with these allergies developing during their formative years. They also found that these children were more likely to have allergies to corn, shellfish, and fish.

Latinoa children are more likely to have corn, shellfish, and fish allergies.

When compared to Caucasian children, Latinos have a much higher rate of allergy to fish and shellfish and a somewhat higher rate of allergy to corn.

Researchers find concern with these findings because ethnic children are more likely to come from low-income households where food allergies can cause significant financial burden.