Self-Reported Food Allergy and Intolerance among College Undergraduates: Associations with Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms

Objective: To determine the prevalence of food allergy (FA) and intolerance and estimate associations with anxiety and depression in a diverse sample of young adults. Participants: Undergraduates at a major university (n = 1,574) enrolled in the Spit for Science cohort study. Methods: Participants completed self-report assessments of current FA and/or intolerance as well as anxiety and depressive symptoms using the Symptom Checklist-90. Results: The estimated prevalence of any current, physician-diagnosed FA was 7.6% (n = 119), while 14.6% (n = 227) reported at least one food intolerance. The most reported allergies were tree nut (3.1%) and peanut (2.6%). Any FA was associated with higher depressive symptom scores (ß: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.03-1.54). Any food intolerance was associated with higher depressive (ß: 1.26; 95% CI: 0.70-1.83) and anxiety (ß: 1.19; 95% CI: 0.71-1.67) symptom scores. Conclusion: Living with a FA and/or intolerance is associated with greater internalizing symptoms among a cohort of US college students. [The Spit for Science Working Group co-authored this article.]