New research released on the psychosocial impact of peanut allergy with help from Anaphylaxis Campaign members

Anaphylaxis Campaign members living with peanut allergy have taken part in a ground-breaking new study called APPEAL (Allergy to Peanuts Impacting Emotions and Life) which focuses on the psychosocial impact of peanut allergy in European countries.

Peanut is one of the most common and rapidly growing food allergies in the Western world and is lifelong in up to 80% of people. 1,846 people from Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Anaphylaxis Campaign members in the United Kingdom took part in an online survey in November 2017 which revealed key areas of concern for people living with peanut allergy, their families and people who care for them.

Audrey Dunn Galvin of the School of Applied Psychology at University College Cork, Ireland, presented the findings from APPEAL in May 2018 at the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Congress in Munich, Germany. A video has been produced highlighting some of the key findings which you can watch on the Anaphylaxis Campaign YouTube channel here [link].

Sadly 43% of people living with peanut allergy said they have been affected by bullying and survey also revealed the increased level of anxiety people affected by peanut allergy experience in situations involving food. It is hoped that by further exploring the findings, the APPEAL team can help raise awareness of the impact of peanut allergy to increase support for improving care and treatments.

Also, whilst the study specifically focused on peanut allergy, living with the threat of a reaction due to a severe food allergy from any food allergen can have a huge emotional impact on children and their families.

Chief Executive of the Anaphylaxis Campaign, Lynne Regent, said:

“It is very exciting that the Anaphylaxis Campaign was chosen to participate in the APPEAL study. We hope that this research will help us to understand more about how having severe food allergies like peanut allergy can have a huge emotional impact on children and their families. We hope the further exploration of the findings will enable us to identify key issues where we can provide information and support, as many people in the general population do not understand just how serious allergy and anaphylaxis can be.”

The APPEAL study was developed to provide Europe-wide information on the psychosocial impact of peanut allergy in individuals, and their families. The study is led by Aimmune Therapeutics in partnership with an expert panel of European food allergy patient advocacy group leaders and healthcare professionals.

The Anaphylaxis Campaign will be exploring the psychological impact of allergy at our upcoming Healthcare Professionals Conference on Tuesday 13th November 2018 with expert speakers including Sue Clarke RGN, Nurse Advisor to the Anaphylaxis Campaign; Dr Rebecca Knibb of Aston University and Dr Shelley Dua PhD of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.

To find out more, and book tickets, please visit: https://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/product/2018-healthcare-professionals-conference/