A lack of data results in diminished health services for
food allergy sufferers, is shown in a recent study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal.
Allergies are the most frequently reported chronic condition in children, and a shortage of qualified practicing allergists in Australasia coupled with an increasing
incidence of food allergies results in a lack of access to allergy services for children and their parents.Against a background of few resources, limited data and increased incidence is the compounding problem of reluctance by some medical professionals to accept food allergies and more specifically food sensitivities as a cause of poor health, developmental delays or behavioural issues in children.
The benefits of having better resources and practitioner education in relation to food allergies include healthy children, a wider knowledge of healthy eating, less parental care of sick children creating higher productivity, less chronically ill children freeing up medical services, less behavioural problems in children leading to better schooling and education, less stress on parents.
Source: The New Zealand Medical Journal