SchoolNuts
SchoolNuts is a cross-sectional population-based study that aims to measure the prevalence of food allergy in the early adolescent age group, as well as to understand risk factors for recurrent and severe accidental food ingestion reactions and to determine clinical predictors of food challenge outcomes. 9,630 children aged 10-14 years have been recruited from randomly-selected schools across Melbourne. Participants have completed surveys on allergic disease status, food allergy-specific quality of life, pubertal development and risk-taking behaviour. Parents of participating children have completed questionnaires on family history of allergic disease and environmental exposures. Participants suspected of having a food allergy have attended a hospital clinic for allergy testing and treatment.
| Year | 2011-2015 | 2011-2015 | 2020 (Baseline) | 2021 (12 mth follow-up) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave | Whole cohort | Clinical sub-sample | COVID Immune wave: Clinical sub-sample | COVID Immune wave: Clinical sub-sample |
| Age | 10-14 years | 10-14 years | 15-24 years | 16-25 years |
| # | 9,663 | ~370 | ~238 | ~TBC |
| Identifiers | ||||
| Allergies | ||||
| Anthropometrics | ||||
| Demographics | Demographics | |||
| Education and childcare | Education and childcare | |||
| Environmental exposures (toxins and allergens) | Environmental exposures (toxins and allergens) | |||
| General health | General health | |||
| Home and neighbourhood environments | ||||
| Medication | ||||
| Mental health | Mental health | |||
| Nutrition | ||||
| Puberty | ||||
| Relationships | Relationships | |||
| Resilience and wellbeing | ||||
| Respiratory health | ||||
| Sleep | ||||
| Substance use | Substance use | |||
| Sun exposure | ||||
| Biosamples | ||||
| Study Summary | |
|---|---|
| Study name | SchoolNuts |
| Study abbreviation | SchoolNuts |
| Current principal investigator/s | Dr Jennifer Koplin |
| Current project manager | Michael Field |
| Primary Institution | Murdoch Children’s Research Institute |
| Collaborating Institution/s | The Royal Children’s Hospital |
| Major funding sources | National Health and Medical Research Council |
| Study website | https://www.mcri.edu.au/research/projects/schoolnuts |
| Key reference for study (published study protocol) | Sasaki, M., Koplin, J.J., Dharmage, S.C., Field, M.J., Sawyer, S.M., McWilliam, V., Peters, R.L., Gurrin, L.C., Vuillermin, P.J., Douglass, J., Pezic, A., Brewerton, M., Tang, M.L.K., Patton, G.C. and Allen, K.J. (2018). Prevalence of clinic-defined food allergy in early adolescence: The SchoolNuts study. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 141(1): 391-398.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2017.05.041 |
| Are data available to others outside study team? | No |
| Study focus (e.g. social development) | Prevalence of challenge-proven food allergy and predictors of severe adverse reactions to food in early adolescence. |
| Sampling frame | Children aged 10-14 years (grade 5-8) and their parents recruited through randomly selected government, Catholic and independent primary and secondary schools (using stratified cluster sampling) within 80 km of Melbourne’s (Australia) Central Business District.
For the clinical assessment of food allergy, based on indicators of food allergy in the following measures: |
| Study type (e.g. randomised control trial, cohort, case-control) | Cross-sectional population-based cohort with a clinical assessment sub-study |
| Year commenced | 2011 |
| Ongoing recruitment? | No |
| Commencement sample (N) | 9663 |
| Intergenerational (e.g. offspring)? | No |
| Imaging (e.g. fMRI, ultrasound, retinal photograph)? | No |
| Linkage (e.g. BioGrid, VPDC, NAPLAN, Medicare)? | No |
| Biosamples (e.g. buccal, blood, hair)? | Blood Buccal Newborn screening (Guthrie) card |
| Ethics approvals or requirements (e.g. specific, extended, unspecified, other)? | This project only (Specific consent) Future research related to this project (Extended consent) There are a number of different levels of consent. Consent by the principal of each school visited, consent for cross-sectional cohort participation and consent for participation in the clinical assessment sub-study. Type of consent (specific/extended) varies between these levels of consent. |
Project Manager
Michael Field
Ph: 03 8341 6266
Email: school.nuts@mcri.edu.au
Postal Address
SchoolNuts
Population Allergy
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Royal Children’s Hospital
Flemington Rd, Parkville
Victoria 3052