Socioeconomic Disparities in the Economic Impact of Childhood Food Allergy

Abstract

We compared direct medical costs borne by the health care system and out-of-pocket costs borne by families for children with food allergy by socioeconomic characteristics. METHODS:We analyzed cross-sectional survey data collected between November 2011 and January 2012 from 1643 US caregivers with a food-allergic child. We used a 2-part regression model to estimate mean costs and identified differences by levels of household income and race or ethnicity. RESULTS:Children in the lowest income stratum incurred 2.5 times the amount of emergency department and hospitalization costs as a result of their food allergy than higher-income children ($1021, SE ±$209, vs $416, SE ±$94; P < .05). Costs incurred for specialist visits were lower in the lowest income group ($228, SE ±$21) compared with the highest income group ($311, SE ±$18; P < .01) as was spending on out-of-pocket medication costs ($117, SE ± $26, lowest income; $366, SE ±$44, highest income; P < .001). African American caregivers incurred the lowest amount of direct medical costs and spent the least on out-of-pocket costs, with average adjusted costs of $493 (SE ±$109) and $395 (SE ±$452), respectively.CONCLUSIONS: Disparities exist in the economic impact of food allergy based on socioeconomic status. Affordable access to specialty care, medications, and allergen-free foods are critical to keep all food-allergic children safe, regardless of income and race.

Food Allergy Management at School

“…Finally, largely missing from existing food allergy literature is the impact that ill‐defined policies have on low‐income children, especially those who rely on the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Compared to their higher income counterparts, low‐income families spend more money responding to a food allergy emergency and less money preventing a reaction, by purchasing specialty foods, for example . Furthermore, on average, households with children with food allergies have higher overall expenses than do households without children with food allergies .…”

Race, Income and Insurance Status Affect Neonatal Sepsis Mortality and Healthcare Resource Utilization

“…Bilaver et al found that children from low-income families incurred 2.5 times more on emergency room and hospitalization costs compared to children form high-income families. [33] Xu et al reported that racial disparities account for approximately $329 million associated with excess preterm births in Blacks during 2003 in the state of Michigan. [34] To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report the economic burden associated with neonatal sepsis at a national level.…”

Consensus report from the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) 2019 Oral Immunotherapy for Food Allergy Summit

“…OIT should be discussed in context of the cost of allergen-free foods and special childcare arrangements, which can be a significant cost and QOL burden for families. 21 These factors should be considered when discussing whether OIT is the best treatment choice for a patient, especially considering that OIT is not curative and ongoing precautions around allergen exposure will still be required for many patients.…”