Prevalence of parent-reported food allergy among children in China: A population-based cross-sectional survey

The prevalence of food allergy (FA) has been increasing in recent years and has become an important public health, food safety, and clinical nutrition problem. However, population-based studies on the prevalence of FA are very limited in China. This study aims to determine the prevalence and pattern of parent-reported FA among school children in Jiangxi Province, China. A multicenter cross-sectional study on FA was conducted on primary school children aged 6-11 years old using random cluster sampling with a questionnaire survey. Parent-reported FA was used and defined as individual-reported FA by parent or guardian through a questionnaire in this study. Among the total of 8,856 (96.36%) complete questionnaires received, 727 (8.2%) children had adverse reactions to food (ARF). The prevalence rates of parent-reported FA and doctor-diagnosed FA were 6.2% and 3.3%, respectively. Animal-derived foods were the main causative source of FA, and the three leading allergenic foods were shrimp, mango, and mollusks. Skin reactions were the most common clinical manifestations of FA, accounting for 63.7%, and 45.32% of the subjects with parent-reported FA experienced severe allergic reactions. There was a significant difference in parent-reported FA between different survey centers, and FA risk increased significantly in children with other allergic diseases (