Health disparities in allergic and immunologic conditions in racial and ethnic underserved populations: A Work Group Report of the AAAAI Committee on the Underserved

Social disparities in early childhood prevention and management of food allergy

Food allergy (FA) affects 8% of US children. Navigating and managing FA permeates across multiple facets of childhood. In this article, we review research on social disparities in feeding practices, managing meals, and selecting childcare and schools. Key highlights include the following: (1) although preference for breast-feeding or formula feeding does not reduce FA risk, there are disparities in access to formula that may affect children with FA; (2) disparities likely exist in the early introduction to allergenic foods, though additional research is needed to identify barriers to following the most recent consensus guidelines on early introduction; (3) families with limited income face challenges in providing safe meals for their children; (4) disparities exist in early childcare options for preschool-age children, though there is a lack of research on FA practices in these settings; and (5) there is evidence that schools with different student demographics implement different types of FA policies. Further research is needed to better understand and characterize social disparities in FA prevention and management in early childhood and to develop evidence-based strategies to reduce them.

The Development of Age-Based Food Allergy Educational Handouts for Caregivers and Patients: A Work Group Report of the AAAAI Adverse Reactions to Foods Committee

BACKGROUND

Food allergy education is an ongoing process that must address unique safety concerns and psychosocial challenges at each developmental stage. Families require reliable information that is targeted to specific developmental stages to support the integration of food allergy management into daily life.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this project was to develop age-specific, evidence-based patient education handouts with practical recommendations for managing and coping with food allergies at different developmental stages.

METHODS

Handout content was based on: (1) practice guidelines for food allergy management; (2) literature addressing psychosocial and educational needs of patients with food allergy and their caregivers; and (3) clinical experience of the project team. Fifty-seven caregivers of patients (aged 0-21 years) with food allergy and 2 young adults with food allergy reviewed a draft of the handouts and completed an online survey to assess handout acceptability and usability and identify areas for improvement. Handouts were revised based on participant feedback.

RESULTS

The majority of participants (79%) rated the amount of information in the age-specific handouts as "just right," versus "not enough" (9%) or "too much" information (12%). Sixty-three percent reported that they would be "very likely" to use the handouts as a resource and 35% "somewhat likely." Almost all participants (88%-100% by item) agreed that the handouts used elements of plain language writing and clear communication.

CONCLUSION

Caregivers rated the age-based food allergy education handouts as understandable and useful. We anticipate that these handouts could be used during health care visits and directly accessed online by families.

Structural Inequities in Medicine that Contribute to Racial Inequities in Asthma Care

Structural inequities in medicine have been present for centuries in the United States, but only recently are these being recognized as contributors to racial inequities in asthma care and asthma outcomes. This chapter provides a systematic review of structural factors such as racial bias in spirometry algorithms, the history of systemic racism in medicine, workforce/pipeline limitations to the presence of underrepresented minority health care providers, bias in research funding awards, and strategies to solve these problems.

The Role of Social Determinants of Health in the Use of Telemedicine for Asthma in Children

Asthma is the most common chronic health condition among children in the United States. The adverse impacts of social determinants of health often manifest in unmet health-related social needs, potentially contributing to worse asthma outcomes. With the onset and rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the identification of asthma as a potential risk factor for more severe disease, our asthma program quickly pivoted to a remote-access telemedicine asthma population management platform to best meet the needs of our most at-risk patients. Our practice provides care to a large proportion of Black and Latino/a/e children in urban areas insured by the State Medicaid Program and impacted by unmet social needs. As we pivoted to telemedicine, we consistently reached a greater number of patients and families than prepandemic and observed decreased emergency department visits and hospitalizations. About 1 in 5 families received resource touch points spanning categories of transportation, food and supplies, clothing, utilities, and rent. Overall, families reported positive experiences with telemedicine, including the ability to connect remotely with our social work and resource teams. Telemedicine may be an effective strategy for addressing both the medical and the social needs of children with asthma at risk for worse outcomes.

Anaphylaxis across Europe: are pollen food syndrome and lipid transfer protein allergy so far apart?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Traditionally pollen-food syndrome (PFS) is considered to be a mild cross-reacting food allergy affecting only Northern Europe, with lipid transfer protein (LTP) allergy being more severe and mainly occurring in Southern Europe. This review seeks to update the reader on both types of plant food allergy and to determine whether the stereotypical presentations of these plant food allergies remain the same, with a particular focus on reaction severity.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent findings suggest that both these types of plant food allergy occur in children and adults. Although it is true that PFS allergy is more prevalent in Northern Europe and LTP allergy is more well known in Southern Europe, these conditions are not hidebound by geography, and the increasing spread and allergenicity of pollen due to global warming continues to change their presentation. Both conditions have a spectrum of symptom severity, with PFS sometimes presenting with more severe symptoms, including anaphylaxis and LTP allergy with milder reactions.

SUMMARY

It is important to consider that in many parts of Europe, reactions to plant foods, especially fruits or vegetables, could be mediated either by pollen cross-reactivity or primary sensitization to LTP allergens. All those presenting with symptoms to plant foods will benefit from a detailed clinical history and appropriate tests so that an accurate diagnosis can be made, and correct management implemented.

Strategies to improve the recruitment and retention of underserved children and families in clinical trials: A case example of a school-supervised asthma therapy pilot

BACKGROUND

Due to underrepresentation of racial/ethnic minority and low-income groups in clinical studies, there is a call to improve the recruitment and retention of these populations in research. Pilot studies can test recruitment and retention practices for better inclusion of medically underserved children and families in subsequent clinical trials. We examined this using a school-based asthma intervention, in preparation for a larger clinical trial in which our goal is to include an underserved study population.

METHODS

We recruited children with poorly controlled asthma in a two-site pilot cluster randomized controlled trial of school-supervised asthma therapy versus enhanced usual care (receipt of an educational asthma workbook). We sought a study population with a high percentage of children and families from racial/ethnic minority and low-income groups. The primary outcome of the pilot trial was recruitment/retention over 12 months. Strategies used to facilitate recruitment/retention of this study population included engaging pre-trial multi-level stakeholders, selecting trial sites with high percentages of underserved children and families, training diverse medical providers to recruit participants, conducting remote trial assessments, and providing multi-lingual study materials.

RESULTS

Twenty-six children [42.3% female, 11.5% Black, 30.8% Multiracial (Black & other), 76.9% Hispanic, and 92.3% with family income below $40,000] and their caregivers were enrolled in the study, which represents 55.3% of those initially referred by their provider, with 96.2%, 92.3%, and 96.2% retention at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Targeted strategies facilitated the inclusion of a medically underserved population of children and families in our pilot study, prior to expanding to a larger trial.

Food insecurity in children and adults with food allergies

Food allergy is a substantial public health concern associated with risk of severe or potentially life-threatening reactions and requiring life-altering changes in dietary habits. This increasingly prevalent health concern is associated with adverse medical, nutritional, psychosocial, and economic effects on the estimated 32 million affected individuals in the United States. Management of food allergy requires life-altering dietary modifications and constant vigilance to avoid implicated allergens to minimize the risk of anaphylaxis, which can lead to considerable anxiety and reduced quality of life. Specialized diets are expensive and often difficult to access, particularly for low-income and minority individuals with food allergy. The overlap of food insecurity with diet-treated illnesses further increases the burden on patients with food allergies and their families, with overall rates of food insecurity increasing substantially during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Universal screening to identify food insecure households and connect them with appropriate resources is a critical step in addressing unmet needs at the individual and family level. At the systems level, integrated advocacy approaches addressing the complex interplay between multiple societal issues such as poverty, systemic racism, wage inequality, housing insecurity, lack of transportation, and other social determinants of health are vital to ensure access to safe, healthy, nutritionally complete options for patients with food allergies and their families.

Implementation of Stock Epinephrine in Chartered Versus Unchartered Public-School Districts

BACKGROUND

Access to unassigned epinephrine is critical for schools to treat anaphylaxis. Low socioeconomic status is associated with decreased access to epinephrine in the school setting. In and around New Orleans, physicians partner with schools to assist with stocking unassigned epinephrine autoinjectors (EAIs). New Orleans' decentralized public charter school district makes widespread adoption challenging.

METHODS

Physicians partnered with New Orleans decentralized public charter schools, as well as neighboring centralized public school districts, to perform training on recognizing and treating anaphylaxis, assist with the adoption of school policy for stock epinephrine, and aid with obtaining stock EIAs free-of-cost through the EpiPen4Schools® program. We used publicly available school enrollment data and our own calendar records to calculate how many children we covered with stock epinephrine per hour of physician or administrator time.

RESULTS

For centralized school districts, we cover approximately 4000 children with stock epinephrine per hour of time. For the decentralized district of New Orleans, we estimate covering only 400 children with stock epinephrine per hour of time.

CONCLUSION

Decentralized school districts reduce educational disparities, but require more time and energy to get EAIs in place than centralized school districts do.

The Role of Access and Cost-Effectiveness in Managing Asthma: A Systematic Review

Background

Inconsistent and unequal access to medical care is an issue that predates the COVID19 pandemic, which only worsened the problem. Limited access to care from asthma specialists and other specialists treating comorbid diseases may adversely affect asthma.

Objective

The purpose of this review is to identify health disparities associated with access to care for asthma, and cost-effectiveness of therapies and interventions addressing this health disparity.

Methods

A narrative systematic review was undertaken using MeSH searches of English language articles published in CINAHL, Scopus, or PubMed.

Results

A total of 725 articles were identified. Barriers recognized from the literature included access to diagnostic spirometry, access to specialists, medication formulary restrictions, and issues leading to medical nonadherence. Telemedicine, school-based health care interventions, digital applications, and non–office-based digital spirometry could be used to address these gaps in access to asthma care while potentially being cost-effective.

Conclusion

With the widespread adoption of telemedicine because of the pandemic, and adoption of other mobile services, we now have potential tools that can increase access to asthma care, which can help address this health care inequity. Evidence is limited, but favorable, that some of these tools may be cost-effective.

Telehealth and Allergy Services in Rural and Regional Locations That Lack Specialty Services

Secondary to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, telehealth quickly peaked as the dominant health care modality and its use still remains high. Although allergists and health care systems adapted quickly to adopt telehealth, its increased use has both highlighted its benefits for patients and allergists and demonstrated known concerns with delivering allergy specialty care to rural and regional patient populations. With increased concentration of both patients and allergists in urban areas, the ability to provide allergy specialty care to the rural and remote population continues to remain a challenge despite the advantages leveraged through telehealth. Herein, we review aspects specific to the rural patient population, tele-allergy outcomes with these patient cohorts, and efforts, both past and present, taken at different levels within the allergy community to promote our specialty through specific telehealth modalities to address and engage the rural and regional patient.

Food Allergies in Inner-City Schools: Addressing Disparities and Improving Management

OBJECTIVE

Food allergy (FA) affects approximately 8% of children in the United States. Management comprises both preventing and treating allergic reactions, which poses unique challenges in the inner-city school setting. In this article, we review the epidemiology of FA in school-aged children and management challenges and opportunities specific to the inner-city population.

DATA SOURCES

A literature search of the PubMed database was performed to identify published literature on FA epidemiology, FA management, school policies, disparities, inner-city, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

STUDY SELECTIONS

Relevant articles on FA management best practices and challenges in schools, with a particular emphasis on inner-city schools and populations and socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic disparities, were reviewed in detail.

RESULTS

Disparities in FA prevalence, management, and treatment exist. Additional research is needed to better characterize these disparities and elucidate the mechanisms leading to them. There is a lack of evidence-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of food allergic reactions in schools and specifically in inner-city schools, in which a greater proportion of students may rely on school food.

CONCLUSION

There are opportunities for partnership among health care providers, schools, and communities to address unmet needs in FA management and disparities in the inner-city school setting.

Burden of allergic disease among ethnic minority groups in high-income countries

The COVID‐19 pandemic raised acute awareness regarding inequities and inequalities and poor clinical outcomes amongst ethnic minority groups. Studies carried out in North America, the UK and Australia have shown a relatively high burden of asthma and allergies amongst ethnic minority groups. The precise reasons underpinning the high disease burden are not well understood, but it is likely that this involves complex gene–environment interaction, behavioural and cultural elements. Poor clinical outcomes have been related to multiple factors including access to health care, engagement with healthcare professionals and concordance with advice which are affected by deprivation, literacy, cultural norms and health beliefs. It is unclear at present if allergic conditions are intrinsically more severe amongst patients from ethnic minority groups. Most evidence shaping our understanding of disease pathogenesis and clinical management is biased towards data generated from white population resident in high‐income countries. In conjunction with standards of care, it is prudent that a multi‐pronged approach towards provision of composite, culturally tailored, supportive interventions targeting demographic variables at the individual level is needed, but this requires further research and validation. In this narrative review, we provide an overview of epidemiology, sensitization patterns, poor clinical outcomes and possible factors underpinning these observations and highlight priority areas for research.

Diversity, Disparities, and the Allergy Immunology Pipeline

Disparities in health outcomes in under-represented racial and ethnic minority groups are evident in allergic/immunologic diseases and have been most completely described in asthma. The last 2 decades have not led to any substantive improvement in these disparities, with under-represented minorities (URMs) receiving worse care in several quality measures. Increasing physician workforce diversity is one strategy to improve access to care and address the health disparity problem because URM physicians more often choose to both work in clinical settings and pursue research that benefits underserved communities.

Social Vulnerability Is Associated with Poorer Outcomes in Preschool Children With Recurrent Wheezing Despite Standardized and Supervised Medical Care

BACKGROUND

Social determinants of health are associated with disparate asthma outcomes in school-age children. Social determinants have not been studied in preschool children with recurrent wheezing.

OBJECTIVE

We hypothesized that preschool children with recurrent wheezing at highest risk of social vulnerability would have more frequent symptoms and exacerbations when followed over 1 year, despite receiving standardized and supervised asthma care.

METHODS

A multicenter population of adherent preschool children receiving standardized and supervised care for wheezing was stratified by a composite measure of social vulnerability based on individual-level variables. Primary outcomes included days with upper respiratory infections and days with asthma symptom flares. Other outcomes included symptom scores during upper respiratory infections and respiratory symptom flare days, exacerbation occurrence, quality of life during the exacerbation, and hospitalization.

RESULTS

Preschool children at highest risk of social vulnerability did not have more frequent upper respiratory infections, respiratory symptoms, or exacerbations, but instead had more severe symptoms during upper respiratory infections and respiratory flare days, as well as more severe exacerbations with significantly poorer caregiver quality of life. Children at highest risk of social vulnerability also lived in poorer housing conditions with differing exposures and self-reported triggers.

CONCLUSIONS

Individual-level social determinants of health reflecting social vulnerability are associated with poorer outcomes in preschool children with recurrent wheezing despite access to supervised and standardized care. Comprehensive assessment of social determinants of health is warranted in even the youngest children with wheezing, because mitigation of these social inequities is an essential first step toward improving outcomes in pediatric patients.

Social Determinants of Health in Asthma Through the Life Course

There is strong evidence supporting the influence of social determinants of health (SDOH) on the development and progression of asthma. SDOH are defined as conditions in which people are born, grow up, live, work, and age, which influence their opportunity to be healthy, risk of illness, and life expectancy. The goal of this article was to describe 2 case-based approaches (pediatric and adult) to assessing and addressing SDOH in asthma across the life course and in community settings. As asthma providers and specialists, the role of SDOH is complex in our clinical care; however, it is critical to address social needs identified through clinical care for our patients with asthma. Clinical-community partnerships, through grant and cost-sharing mechanisms with resource agencies, are necessary to ameliorate social needs for patients and their communities and have the potential to improve asthma outcomes. Although this is a unique and exciting time in health care to promote individual and population health, knowledge gaps remain, including best practices to integrate holistic SDOH care into the care of patients with asthma.

Toolkit for Developing Structural Competency in Health Disparities in Allergy and Immunology Training and Research

Resources to prepare Allergy and Immunology trainees and providers to recognize and address health disparities are lacking. We designed a curriculum using interactive sessions incorporating disease-specific, evidence-based content, and a panel-based workshop with facilitated discussion to prepare Allergy and Immunology trainees to identify structural racism and health disparities. Pre-session surveys revealed that a high portion of trainees reported feeling comfortable recognizing bias and discussing health equity (n = 16, mean = 3.6/5 on a Likert scale), but felt less confident in their ability to address disparities in practice or to identify resources to care for historically disadvantaged communities (n = 16, mean = 2.9/5 on a Likert scale). The curriculum improved respondents' confidence in their ability to address these issues, with a panel-based workshop increasing attendees' scores an average of 0.65 points (n = 17, mean: pre-survey 3.31 vs post-survey 3.95). After the sessions, a toolkit was created to optimize delivery of medical education to address health disparities and define core concepts for this subject. Resources to implement these concepts in research design and recruitment efforts were included. With inadequate guidance for the incorporation of disparities-focused medical education curricula, our educational series, resources, and interactive toolkit add to existing literature to improve disparities competencies in teaching, clinical practices, and research design.

Elevating Health Disparities Education Among Trainees and Physicians

Health disparities disproportionately affect patients in racial and ethnic minority groups, and these disparities are linked to economic, environmental, and social disadvantage. It is widely known that health disparities impact patients with allergic and immunologic conditions, yet universal and comprehensive training in health disparities is lacking. More robust educational opportunities are needed to fully equip trainees with tools to recognize and develop effective strategies to reduce the burden of health disparities. Also, there are no universal standards or requirements for professional medical boards in their respective maintenance of certification programs that will ensure ongoing training for practicing providers that will help them identify and manage individual or societal issues such as social determinants that contribute to health disparities. Further, the long-term impact of systematic discrimination, implicit and overt bias, and medical mistrust among populations most often affected by disparities compounds the complexity of the methods and types of training that is desperately needed to overcome health disparities. We provide a commentary on important topics that should be addressed during allergy and immunology training and beyond. We further highlight strategies and tools that should be used to tackle this important issue affecting millions of patients under our specialty care. It is past time for us to go beyond the bedside and comprehensively integrate health disparities training in our fellowship programs and in our practices.

Teledermatology and Inflammatory Skin Conditions during COVID-19 Era: New Perspectives and Applications

Background: The most frequent inflammatory skin diseases are psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and acne. Their management is challenging for dermatologists since their relapsing chronic clinical course is associated with a great impact on quality of life. Nevertheless, the recent introduction of novel therapies, such as biological drugs and small molecules has been changing the history of these diseases. Methods: A systematic review of the scientific literature of case reports, case series, epidemiological studies, reviews, and systematic reviews regarding teledermatology and inflammatory skin disease. Studies were identified, screened, and extracted for relevant data following the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines. Results: A total of 69 cases articles were included in the review. Conclusions: As we have shown in the review, several experiences of teledermatology for patients affected by inflammatory skin diseases have been demonstrated to increase due to clinical access to hospital and specialized health care services, allowing better access to specialized dermatology care for people living in remote areas, and saving costs and money with health care.

Fixed-Bearing Trabecular Metal Total Ankle Arthroplasty Using the Transfibular Approach for End-Stage Ankle Osteoarthritis

This multicenter prospective cohort study assessed the safety and performance of the Trabecular Metal Total Ankle System (TM Ankle; Zimmer) for primary total ankle arthroplasty (TAA).

The impact of environmental injustice and social determinants of health on the role of air pollution in asthma and allergic disease in the United States

There is clear evidence that exposure to environmental air pollution is associated with immune dysregulation, asthma, and other allergic diseases. However, the burden of air pollution exposure is not equally distributed across the United States. Many social and environmental factors place communities of color and people who are in poverty at increased risk of exposure to pollution and morbidity from asthma and allergies. Here, we review the evidence that supports the relationship between air pollution and asthma, while considering the social determinants of health that contribute to disparities in exposures and outcomes.

Demographic characteristics associated with food allergy in a Nationwide Canadian Study

INTRODUCTION

We conducted a nationwide Canadian telephone survey on food allergy prevalence between February 2016 and January 2017, targeting vulnerable populations (New, Indigenous, and lower-income Canadians).

OBJECTIVE

To examine the independent effect of demographic characteristics on food allergy.

METHODS

Canadian households with vulnerable populations were targeted using Canadian Census data and the household respondent reported whether each household member had a perceived (self-reported) or probable (self-report of a convincing history or physician diagnosis) food allergy. The association between perceived and probable food allergy and demographic characteristics was assessed through weighted multivariable random effects logistic regressions.

RESULTS

Children, females, Canadian-born participants, adults with post-secondary education, and those residing in smaller households were more likely to report perceived or probable food allergy. Although immigrant parents self-reported less food allergy, Canadian-born children of Southeast/East Asian immigrant versus other immigrant or Canadian-born parents reported more food allergy.

CONCLUSION

We have demonstrated clear associations between demographic characteristics and food allergy, which may provide important clues to the environmental determinants of food allergy.