TABLE 3-1Factors Affecting the Accuracy of Prevalence Surveys

MethodologiesHistory only versus history + laboratory data (SPT and/or serum IgE) versus history + laboratory data + physician diagnosis versus history + oral food challenge versus history + double-blind placebo-controlled oral food challenges.
Food challenge materialCooked/baked versus raw food.
Selection biasSelected cohort (e.g., allergy clinic based versus birth cohort) or unselected cohort.
Nonparticipation biasThose affected are more likely to participate.
Timing of surveyChildren “outgrow” many food allergies; adults may acquire food allergies late; varies with specific food being investigated (e.g., milk versus shrimp).
DefinitionPollen-associated food allergy, fairly frequent compared to classic generalized immediate food allergies.
Geographical regionWesternized countries tend to have greater prevalence of food allergies than less well developed countries.
Statistical analysesMethods employed to handle missing data and nonparticipation.

From: 3, Prevalence

Cover of Finding a Path to Safety in Food Allergy
Finding a Path to Safety in Food Allergy: Assessment of the Global Burden, Causes, Prevention, Management, and Public Policy.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee on Food Allergies: Global Burden, Causes, Treatment, Prevention, and Public Policy; Oria MP, Stallings VA, editors.
Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2016 Nov 30.
Copyright 2017 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

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