PREVALENCE AND CORRELATES OF FOOD ALLERGY AMONG MEDICAID-ENROLLED U.S. CHILDREN

Abstract

Introduction Previous research finds racial and socioeconomic disparities in the prevalence and economic impact of childhood food allergy (FA). The purpose of this study is to present a comprehensive baseline of the prevalence of FA among Medicaid-enrolled children in 2012 in the United States. Methods Patient-level data from the Medicaid Analytic Extract (MAX) files were obtained under a data use agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The current study uses data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2012. The target population (n=23,825,160) was limited to children ages 0-19 who were enrolled in the Medicaid program (and not Medicare) for all 12 months of 2012. Children with ICD-9 CM codes specific for FA were identified in outpatient and inpatient claims. Multiple logistic regression was used to measure the adjusted odds of FA by child characteristics. Results Overall prevalence of FA was 0.94% with Nevada having the lowest rate (0.25%) and Pennsylvania having the highest (1.83%). FA prevalence was higher than the U.S. average among children eosinophilic esophagitis, 28.21%; asthma, 2.84%). Significant differences by all covariates were confirmed in multivariate analyses. Conclusions Compared with physician diagnosed FA prevalence of approximately 4%, the prevalence of FA among Medicaid-enrolled children suggests a significant level of unmet health care needs stemming from this condition.