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TO EDUCATION, FOOD, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
Most parents don't favor bans on nuts in schools, including those with
allergic kids
ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 18, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Most
parents of kids with and without nut allergies don't support
schoolwide bans on nut-containing products, according to a new
University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on
Children's Health.
Schools don't have a single standard for managing environments for
nut-allergic children, and there is no clear research about which
strategy is safest at lunch or snacktime, says Sarah J. Clark, M.P.H.,
associate director of the National Poll on Children's Health and
associate research scientist in the University of Michigan Department
of Pediatrics.
So in this month's poll, parents of elementary school-aged kids both
with and without nut allergies were asked what they thought was the
best way to handle lunchtime for children with nut allergies.
The most preferred option among parents of nut-allergic kids was that
their children should eat in a lunchroom with no restrictions on where
their children sit or what other children eat (47 percent). In
contrast, 22 percent of parents of nut-allergic children thought the
best strategy for their child was a ban on nut-containing foods in the
lunchroom or the school.
For parents of kids without nut allergies, the most preferred option
was that nut-allergic children eat at a designated location (a
nut-free table) where nut-containing foods aren't allowed (58 percent
in favor).
"Children with allergies to peanuts or tree nuts must be very careful
about what they eat. These allergies can carry life-threatening
consequences," Clark says.
"But the results of this poll show that parents don't believe there is
one right strategy for keeping nut-allergic kids safe."
The poll is based on a nationwide survey of 816 parents of children
5-12 years old, of which 5 percent reported their child has a peanut
or tree nut allergy.
Matthew Greenhawt, M.D., of the University of Michigan Food Allergy
Center, said the poll shows that parents of unaffected kids also are
interested in making sure nut-allergic children are safe.
"These results are reassuring because it demonstrates parents of
unaffected children have empathy and understanding. That can go a long
way towards calming anxiety about sending a food-allergic child to
school," Greenhawt says.
Clark said parents also were asked about their level of support if
their children's school were to implement different policies for
nut-allergic children: 61 percent would support a policy that
nut-containing items are not allowed in classes with a nut-allergic
child.
"These results provide hope that parents can work together with the
schools to create a safe and mutually agreeable learning environment
for their children," says Greenhawt.
Recent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) encourage schools to consider the needs and preferences of
nut-allergic children in deciding whether to designate a nut-free area
or restrict nut-containing products altogether. Greenhawt says this
poll's data can help schools struggling with policy questions.
"Schools, governments, parents and doctors who may be involved in the
decisions around school nut policies should not presume that all
parents of nut-allergic children have the same preferences. Seeking a
broad range of input will help to craft a policy that meets the needs
of all children," Greenhawt says.
Broadcast-quality video is available on request. See the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKO2YtKum2A
Full report:
http://mottnpch.org/reports-surveys/nut-free-lunch-parents-speak-out
Website: Check out the Poll's website: MottNPCH.org. You can search
and browse over 80 NPCH Reports, suggest topics for future polls,
share your opinion in a quick poll, and view information on popular
topics. The National Poll on Children's Health team welcomes feedback
on the website, including features you'd like to see added. To share
feedback, e-mail NPCH@med.umich.edu.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mottnpch
Twitter: @MottNPCH
Additional resources: CDC: Food Allergies in Schools
CDC: Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies in Schools and
Early Care and Education Programs (PDF)
Purpose/Funding: The C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on
Children's Health - based at the Child Health Evaluation and Research
Unit at the University of Michigan and funded by the University of
Michigan Health System - is designed to measure major health care
issues and trends for U.S. children.
Data Source: This report presents findings from a nationally
representative household survey conducted exclusively by GfK Custom
Research, LLC (GfK) for C.S. Mott Children's Hospital via a method
used in many published studies. The survey was administered in
November 2013 to a randomly selected, stratified group of parents age
18 or older with a child age 5-12 (n= 816), from GfK's web-enabled
KnowledgePanel@, that closely resembles the U.S. population. The
sample was subsequently weighted to reflect population figures from
the Census Bureau. The survey completion rate was 54 percent among
panel members contacted to participate. The margin of error is +2 to 4
percentage points and higher among subgroups.
Findings from the U-M C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on
Children's Health do not represent the opinions of the investigators
or the opinions of the University of Michigan.
SOURCE University of Michigan Health System
-0- 03/18/2014
/CONTACT: Mary F. Masson, mfmasson@umich.edu, 734-764-2220
/Web Site: http://www.med.umich.edu
CO: University of Michigan Health System
ST: Michigan
IN: EDU HED HEA
SU: CHI SVY
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