QuickStats: Percentage of Children Aged < 18 Years with Reported Food, Skin, or Hay Fever/Respiratory Allergies* --- National Health Interview Survey, United States, 1998--2009†

QuickStats: Percentage of Children Aged < 18 Years with Reported Food, Skin, or Hay Fever/Respiratory Allergies* --- National Health Interview Survey, United States, 1998--2009† Weekly March 25, 2011 / 60(11);349

* Based on positive responses to the questions "During the past 12 months, has your child had any kind of food or digestive allergy?" and "During the past 12 months, has your child had eczema or any kind of skin allergy?" and a positive response to either "During the past 12 months, has your child had hay fever?" or "During the past 12 months, has your child had any kind of respiratory allergy?"

† Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the noninstitutionalized U.S. civilian population. One child aged [< 18] years was randomly selected per family; a parent or other knowledgeable adult provided information for each child. Denominators for each category exclude persons for whom data were missing. Estimates are presented as 3-year annual averages to increase reliability. From 1998--2000 to 2007--2009, the percentage of children who were reported to have a food allergy during the preceding 12 months increased from 3.5% to 4.6%, and the percentage who were reported to have a skin allergy increased from 7.3% to 10.7%. The percentage of children reported to have hay fever and/or respiratory allergy was 16.6% during 2007--2009, a level that did not differ substantially from earlier years. Sources: National Health Interview Survey data. Available at http://www.dcd.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.

Health Data Interactive. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm.

Alternate Text: The figure above shows the percentage of children aged [< 18] years with reported food, skin, and hay fever/respiratory allergies in the United States during 1998-2009, according to the National Health Interview Survey. From 1998-2000 to 2007-2009, the percentage of children who were reported to have a food allergy during the preceding 12 months increased from 3.5% to 4.6%, and the percentage who were reported to have a skin allergy increased from 7.3% to 10.7%. The percentage of children reported to have hay fever and/or respiratory allergy was 16.6% during 2007-2009, a level that did not differ substantially from earlier years. full-text: QuickStats: Percentage of Children Aged <18 Years with Reported Food, Skin, or Hay Fever/Respiratory Allergies* --- National Health Interview Survey, United States, 1998--2009†