Allergies are a health problem for many, but according to a new study children with nut allergies often feel isolated, stigmatized, or unfairly excluded from activities.
CNN reports much of the exclusion is linked to the allergies, which can be potentially life-threatening conditions.
Although only 1% of children in the U.S. have peanut allergies – the most common food trigger of life-threatening anaphylactic shock – there has been an influx of restrictions on schools and other public places, including nut-free classrooms and airplanes, as well as better labeling for products.
The restrictions have led some, even professors, to scoff at the supposed hysteria. In 2008, according to CNN, Harvard Medical School professor Nicholas A. Christakis wrote about the "overabundance of caution" at his children's school while still noting that allergies are a problem.
Because of the stigma, researchers believe children feel like they have a disability rather than a chronic illness.
Coauthor Mary Dixon-Woods, professor of medical sociology at the University of Leicester, told CNN, “Families reported some really very difficult and unpleasant experiences when they were trying to keep their child safe from risk.”
