Advancing Food Allergy Through Epidemiology: Understanding and Addressing Disparities in Food Allergy Management and Outcomes

• Published in: The journal of allergy and clinical immunology in practice (Cambridge, MA) Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 110 - 118
• Main Authors: Warren, Christopher M., Turner, Paul J., Chinthrajah, R. Sharon, Gupta, Ruchi S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-01-2021
• Subjects: Allergens; Arachis; Ecological momentary assessment; Epidemiology; Food allergy; Food allergy management; Food Hypersensitivity - epidemiology; Health disparities; Health equity; Humans; Population health; Social determinants of health; Food allergy; Ecological momentary assessment; Social determinants of health; EMA; Health equity; Food allergy management; Epidemiology; Population health; Health disparities
• ISSN: 2213-2198; 2213-2201; 2213-2201
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2020.09.064

Epidemiological studies have been pivotal in advancing understanding of the etiology of food allergy and in guiding the development of evidence-based guidelines for food allergy prevention and clinical management. In recent years, as research into the population-level distribution and determinants of food allergy has accumulated, data indicate that substantial differences in food allergy outcomes and management exist across racial/ethnic and other socioeconomic strata. This clinical commentary aims to provide a review of existing epidemiological studies and shed valuable light on the disparate burden of food allergy. Emerging methods to quantify environmental exposure and food allergy outcomes are detailed, as are specific areas in which future research is warranted. We also highlight the role that epidemiology plays in advancing health equity and provide a framework as to how it can effectively inform health policy at all phases of the policy cycle—from initial population health assessment to the evaluation and refinement of specific health policies (ie, national guidelines to promote earlier introduction of peanut-containing foods for allergy prevention).