Children's Health

Bullied Over Food Allergies

Tips for Parents

While much larger surveys are needed to draw firm conclusions about the proportion of kids bullied due to food allergies, the findings sound a cautionary note for parents, Mahr says.

"Open a dialogue with your child so they know it’s OK to talk to you about the problem. A lot of kids are embarrassed to mention being teased or abused, or are afraid their parents will make the situation worse," he says.

Also, "talk to the staff at school to ensure they know about the potential problem. It's important to deal with this early so it doesn’t become a pattern," Mahr says.

These findings were presented at a medical conference. They should be considered preliminary as they have not yet undergone the "peer review" process, in which outside experts scrutinize the data prior to publication in a medical journal.