Survey shows food allergy prevalence in US children rose from 4.0% to 6.5% between 2007 and 2018

An analysis of US National Health Interview Survey data examined trends in food or digestive allergy prevalence among children under 18 years. The study, an observational survey report, found the percentage of children reporting such an allergy in the past 12 months increased from 4.0% in 2007 to 6.5% in 2018. No specific intervention, comparator, or sample size was reported for this trend analysis.

The main result indicates a relative increase in reported allergy prevalence over this 11-year period. The analysis did not provide effect sizes, absolute case numbers, confidence intervals, or p-values for this change. Safety, tolerability, and adverse event data were not reported, as this was a population prevalence survey rather than an interventional study.

Key limitations include the observational and self-reported nature of the survey data, which cannot establish causality or explain the reasons behind the observed increase. The report explicitly notes this shows an association, not causation. Funding sources and author conflicts of interest were not reported.

For clinical practice, this data provides descriptive, population-level context about a rising trend in reported childhood food allergies in the US. It does not inform specific diagnostic or management decisions for individual patients. The findings highlight an area for continued epidemiological monitoring and research.