Determining Avenues for Improved Food Allergy Support and Safety on College Campuses

Pranav M Bajaj; Madeleine Kanaley; Samantha Sansweet; Kethan Bajaj; Julia Auerbach; Eirene Fithian; Khalid Ibrahim; Ruchi Gupta

doi:10.1016/j.anai.2025.06.005

Determining Avenues for Improved Food Allergy Support and Safety on College Campuses

Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2025 Jun 11:S1081-1206(25)00280-7. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2025.06.005. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Pranav M Bajaj¹, Madeleine Kanaley², Samantha Sansweet³, Kethan Bajaj⁴, Julia Auerbach⁵, Eirene Fithian⁶, Khalid Ibrahim⁷, Ruchi Gupta⁸

Affiliations

¹ Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA; Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. Electronic address: pranav.bajaj@northwestern.edu.
² Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: madeleine.kanaley@northwestern.edu.
³ Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: samantha.sansweet@northwestern.edu.
⁴ Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA; Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. Electronic address: kethanbajaj2025@u.northwestern.edu.
⁵ Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA; Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. Electronic address: juliaauerbach2025@u.northwestern.edu.
⁶ Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: eirene.fithian@northwestern.edu.
⁷ Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: khalid.ibrahim@northwestern.edu.
⁸ Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA; Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA; Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address: r-gupta@northwestern.edu.

PMID: 40513819
DOI: 10.1016/j.anai.2025.06.005

Abstract

Background: Food Allergy (FA) is a chronic disease with public health importance affecting an estimated 1 in 13 children and 1 in 10 adults. Limited research is available on policies and support available at the college level.

Objective: To better understand the experiences of college students with and without FA to determine avenues to improve safety and quality of life for college students with FA.

Methods: An online, cross-sectional survey was distributed to college students with and without food allergy in the United States from 2021 to 2023. Descriptive statistics were used to determine respondent demographics, food allergy knowledge, student reaction history, effects of FA on social life, and recommendations for improvement of FA safety and awareness on campus.

Results: A total of 204 students-78 with food allergies-completed the survey from 72 U.S. universities. Of students with FA, 41% reported that their university was not aware of their FA and 28% experienced a food allergic reaction in their campus dining hall, with the most common cause being food mislabeled with allergen (43%). Students with FA most endorsed wanting regular FA training for campus dining staff (71%) and increased availability of stock epinephrine in the dining halls (59%) to improve safety on campus.

Conclusion: To ensure the safety of students with FA and reduce reactions on campus, it is imperative that universities improve identification of students with food allergies, increase regular FA training for dining staff, and increase availability of stock epinephrine in dining halls.

Keywords: Food allergy. College. Allergic Reaction. Anaphylaxis. Social Life. University. Dining Hall. Allergy Awareness.