Researchers sent a questionnaire to 775 11-year-olds and 757 15-year-olds and their parents on the Isle of Wight, and also subjected the young people to tests to find out if they were actually allergic.
About 15.7 per cent of 11-year-olds and 18.7 per cent of 15-year-olds said they avoided particular foods, with the most-avoided foods being nuts, eggs, dairy products and fish. According to their parents, 11.6 per cent of 11-year-olds and 12.4 per cent of 15-year-olds had an adverse reaction to particular foods, with problems including asthma, wheezing and coughs.
When researchers tested young people only 2.3 per cent from each group showed signs of being allergic. Only 19 per cent of 11-year-olds and 18 per cent of 15-year-olds who said they were allergic actually were.
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