One in five American households includes at least one person who suffers from food allergies, but most people who say they have food allergies have not been tested by a doctor. One-third of those with food allergies categorize their condition as very serious or life threatening, and the National Institutes of Health has stated that food allergies are an emerging public health problem in this country.
Most people who suffer from food allergies have taken one or more precautions to prevent allergic reactions. The most common steps people take are to inquire about how foods are prepared when dining out, or informing food servers and managers about their food allergies. Less frequently used precautions include notifying employers or schools about their condition, carrying an emergency pack of medication or wearing some form of medical alert tag like a bracelet or chain.
These are some of the results of an online survey of 2,853 U.S. adults ages 18 years and over, of whom 615 have someone in their household with food allergies, conducted by Harris Interactive between July 17 and 19, 2007 for The Wall Street Journal Online’s Health Industry Edition (www.wsj.com/health). Among these 615 adults, 185 have life threatening or very serious food allergies and 430 have allergies that are only a nuisance or no bother.
In spite of these precautions four in ten food allergy sufferers have experienced allergic reactions because they lacked or received inaccurate information about the foods they purchased. One in four say they were not informed about an ingredient in a meal and one in five were misinformed. Nearly one in five experienced reactions because of foods that were incorrectly or insufficiently labeled.
Katherine Binns, Division President for Healthcare Research at Harris Interactive, comments, “According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, approximately 30,000 individuals require emergency room treatment each year as a result of food allergies1. To help Americans avoid food allergen health risks, Congress passed the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 20042, which applies to all domestic and imported foods regulated by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and requires that labels identify the food source of all major food allergens3. Additionally, the FDA has also conducted food allergen education programs for consumers and industry4. These survey findings suggest that all of these efforts are needed and welcomed by the general public.”
A variety of guidelines have been proposed to help ensure that individuals are not exposed to food allergens. These include training kitchen staff to avoid the cross contamination of foods, ensuring that staff are aware of specific allergens in dishes, listing potential allergy inducing ingredients on menus and making diners aware of dishes that contain potential allergens. The majority of the American public -- whether or not they have food allergies -- welcomes such preventative guidelines.
Methodology
Harris Interactive® conducted this online survey within the United States between July 17 and 19, 2007 among a national cross section of 2,853 adults (615 of whom have someone in their household with food allergies), ages 18 years and over. Among these 615 adults, 185 have life threatening or very serious food allergies and 430 have allergies that are only a nuisance or no bother. Figures for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income and region were weighted where necessary to align with population proportions. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.
All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include: sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed); measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate responses, nonresponse (including refusals), interviewer effects (when live interviewers are used) and weighting.
With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a finite “margin of error” for any survey and the use of these words should be avoided.
With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With pure probability samples of 2,853 one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the results would have a sampling error of +/- 1.8 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples would be higher and may vary. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
About The Wall Street Journal Online
The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, published by Dow Jones & Company (NYSE: DJ; www.dowjones.com), is the largest paid subscription news site on the Web. Launched in 1996, the Online Journal continues to attract quality subscribers who are at the top of their industries, with 983,000 subscribers world-wide as of Q2, 2007. The Wall Street Journal Online network includes CareerJournal.com, OpinionJournal.com, StartupJournal.com, RealEstateJournal.com and CollegeJournal.com.
The Online Journal provides in-depth business news and financial information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with insight and analysis, including breaking business and technology news and analysis from around the world. It draws on the Dow Jones network of nearly 1,900 business and financial news staff – the largest network of business and financial journalists in the world.
In 2007, the Online Journal received the Webby Award for Best Website in the Financial Services category. In 2005, the Online Journal was awarded a Codie Award for Best Online News Service for the second consecutive year, and its Health Industry Edition was awarded Best Online Science or Technology Service for the third consecutive year.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides innovative research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world’s largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiaries Novatris in France and MediaTransfer AG in Germany, and through a global network of independent market research firms. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com. To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate in online surveys, register at www.harrispollonline.com.
Harris Interactive Inc. 8/07
1 Source, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Significant Items in House and Senate Appropriations Committee Reports, FY2006 House Appropriations Committee Report Language (H Rpt 109-143)
2 http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/alrgact.html
3 U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Food Facts, February 2007
4 U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Food Allergies; When Food Becomes the Enemy, Ray Formanek Jr, April 2004