More than a dozen current and recent college students with food allergies shared their stories of allergen encounters at campus cafeterias, dorm life mischief, and off-campus events.
Alyssa Bowder, 25, a Chicago Ph.D. candidate with a severe nut allergy, woke up one day in her sophomore year at Ohio State University to find peanut butter splattered all over her dorm hallway, including the carpet and bedroom door. remember Shared bathroom. A person living on her floor at the time attributed the incident to a “drunken student coming home from a bar” because no one knew she and her roommate had severe peanut allergies.
Mr. Bauder said that there was “minimalism” in helping dormitory employees track down hallway culprits and clean up messes whose residue remained in the carpet fibers until proper cleaning was finally completed. I put in as much effort as possible,” he said.
“Even after the physical allergen was removed from the hallway, the traumatic experience lived with me,” Bowder said. who started the blog All about allergies, on the mental health struggles associated with food allergies. She said the incident rekindled her feelings of post-traumatic stress related to food allergies she had had since her childhood.
“I never felt comfortable in that space again. I was always worried that my shoes would drive peanut butter into the safe room,” she said.
The university offered Ms. Bowder and her roommate an empty dormitory to live in while it was being cleaned, but she chose instead to stay at her parents’ house nearby.
An Ohio spokeswoman said she could not speak to specific students, but said the health and safety of students, faculty and staff is a “top priority.”
The new landscape of food allergies
Prevalence and Severity of Food Allergies in Children 50 percent increase It occurred between 1997 and 2011, according to the nonprofit Food Allergy Research and Education.now at least 1 in 10 adults in the US has a food allergyAccording to data published on the JAMA network in 2019, some researchers attributed this surge to “food allergy epidemic“
“They are all grown up and have food allergies in college,” he said. Ruchi GuptaHe is a physician and founding director of the Northwestern Medical University Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research (CFAAR). “Ten percent of college students learn how to be independent for the first time, choose their own food, and are consistent with their desire to be accepted, to make friends, to eat out, and to go to parties.”
Gupta said the true extent of the problem was unclear, partly because college students were not required to declare food allergies on their applications. It is even more difficult to quantify how many students experience anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergic reaction) on campus.
2016 study reported that from 2005 to 2014, emergency department visits related to food-induced anaphylaxis among 5- to 17-year-olds nearly tripled.
“What we do know is that about 1 in 5 children and 1 in 10 adults end up in the emergency room with a food allergy reaction each year,” Gupta said. “And we definitely think it’s higher for college students and young people at that age.”
A lot of the college experience has to do with food, such as the welcome buffet during orientation week and dorm gatherings. Gupta said parties are one of the riskiest environments.
“It’s kind of like going back to kindergarten,” says Caroline Moasesi, vice president of community relations. Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Team (FAACT), mother of two college students. “We have to let go of the food allergy baton and hold our breath to pass it because we expect them to make the right decisions.”
Campus cafeterias are a minefield of food allergies
Some university cafeterias have dedicated stations. Does not contain 9 common allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish, sesame). (These foods are Causes 90% of all food allergic reactions, according to FAACT. )
However, many anecdotal reports show that mistakes do happen despite precautions. in one studyThe students told researchers that they ate mislabeled foods or received the wrong meal at the cafeteria.
some say so Employees working in campus cafeterias are poorly trained to understand food allergies.
In 2016, at the beginning of her freshman year at the University of Toronto, Jenna Tso struggled to find safe food options in the cafeteria.
One day, Tso, who has severe allergies to milk, eggs, beef and pork, chose a bowl of vegan lentil dal and was forced to top it with dairy bread by a cafeteria worker.
“I had to give my food to someone else,” said Tso, 24, now a social worker in Los Angeles. “I didn’t feel comfortable going back and ordering a presumably vegan meal again without the bread due to the lack of awareness of the employees.”
Kate Weiser, 19, a sophomore at the University of Chicago who is allergic to eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and fish, said she was lucky to have access to an allergy-free cafeteria.
“The menu will follow a five-week cycle, introducing a different meal each day,” a University of Chicago spokeswoman said. But Weiser said the hardest part of her first year on campus was the repetition and limited food options.
“It’s hard to eat the same thing every day,” says Weiser. “Besides, since it’s a restaurant dish, it’s not delicious in the first place.”
The Challenges of Dealing with Food Allergies
Social events and other outings pose a myriad of other risks for people with food allergies.
Alcohol is also a factor. Many alcoholic beverage labels do not disclose ingredients or potential allergens, creating an exposure risk for those allergic to rye, wheat, barley and even peanuts. Alcohol not only increases the severity of an allergic reaction, but its intoxicating effects can reduce your ability to notice what is going on, delaying treatment.
But many people with allergies say their biggest challenge is a general lack of support and understanding among their peers.
Ms Tso said she avoided talking about her allergies for fear of being labeled “difficult or annoying”. She recalled a sorority event in an Italian restaurant during her freshman year, when she started having an allergic reaction after taking a bite of a spaghetti dish she thought was safe.
Tso felt a sore throat and started having trouble breathing. She excused herself that she was too embarrassed to use an EpiPen in front of her peers and that she had called an Uber to go to the hospital instead.
She was given an epipen in her car, but it was too late to prevent a serious reaction. She started vomiting. When she arrived at the hospital, her airway was nearly blocked and her hands and fingers were blue from her lack of oxygen.
“I really underestimated my allergies. I regret it,” Tso said. now offering food allergy I also provide mental health consulting for students and parents. “I spent most of my childhood allergy-free, but then I went to college and had three allergic reactions in three years because I didn’t have the skills to advocate for myself.”
Find support on campus
Caitlin Chu, 18, a freshman at the University of Virginia, developed a soy allergy when she was 10 years old. Being Korean-American, she has had to avoid traditional foods such as tofu, soybeans, and miso.
She joined an on-campus Asian student group, and traditional Asian food is often served at the group’s events. “Sometimes events serve sushi or other traditional Asian dishes that I can’t eat,” she said. “It’s stressful.”
Organized by two juniors at Northwestern University, Kesan Bajaj and Julia Auerbach College Advocate for Food Allergy Awareness and Education (CAFAE) supports students with food allergies and other food-related conditions.
Bajaj said he started helping students with food allergies after watching his brother deal with food allergies when he was in college. Auerbach said she has had celiac disease since she was 12 and wanted to help others make the transition from high school to college.
CAFAE hosts EpiPen training sessions on campus to give students the opportunity to discuss their food allergy experiences. The group plans to expand its activities to nearby high schools.
Students at Tulane University in Louisiana are starting their own CAFAE chapters next year, and Bajaj and Auerbach are in talks with several universities about new chapters.
Bajaj and Auerbach said the club was inspired by using an online survey to gain insight into allergy experiences on campus. They found that non-allergic students were interested in EpiPen training and learning how to use an EpiPen. help people with allergic reactions.
Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) and FAACT launched program To raise awareness of allergies among university staff and students resource center.Also available for college students Checklist, legal aid and other food allergy information.
An app called Spokin recently released.top 100This is an allergy-friendly university ranking created based on the reviews of over 300 students so far. Next month, the app will provide more detailed information on food allergy policies and practices at various universities. Participating schools pay an entry fee.
“The goal is to make the already difficult research process in school much easier,” said Spoken founder and CEO Susie Hartquist, who is also the mother of a college student with food allergies. .
Michael and Rebecca Suhi Alison Rose Foundation After her daughter Allison Rose, a freshman at Ohio University, died in 2017 from complications of an anaphylactic reaction while spending time off-campus with friends.
What the Foundation Offers Food Allergy Awareness and Education Offered to over 60 high schools, colleges, restaurants, and other organizations. We also provide free stocks of epinephrine to schools.Recently established by Ohio University yellow allergy emergency kit All diner in honor of Alison.
“For the parents who follow in our footsteps, we feel we have to be trailblazers so that they never go through what we had to go through.” Rebecca Suhi said.
Sami Sanders, a 17-year-old high school senior in Georgia with multiple severe food allergies, is already preparing for college.
Sanders’ mother taught him to call and email restaurants and businesses to ask for information about specific foods and to talk about allergies with friends and family.
“As I grew up, I realized that my mother couldn’t speak or do research for me. I had to do it myself,” Sanders said. “I’m definitely nervous going into college, but I’m staying positive. I know I’ll be where I want to be in the end.”