Giving babies peanut-containing foods starting at around 4 to 6 months of age can lower their risk of developing a peanut allergy by more than 80%. But a new study finds that not all families are hearing this advice, and many are missing the critical window.
Researchers surveyed more than 3,000 U.S. parents of young children and found big differences in who introduced peanuts early. By age 1, just 36% of Hispanic parents and 42% of Black parents had given peanut-containing foods, compared to 51% of white parents. For Asian American families, the rate was 35%.
Many parents said they simply weren’t told.
“Our findings suggest that families from racial and ethnic minority groups and those with lower incomes are less likely to receive accurate, timely guidance from their primary care provider on how to introduce peanut during infancy,” said Dr. Christopher Warren, lead author and assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The disparities show up in other ways too. Just 29% of Black parents believed that early peanut introduction could help prevent allergies, compared to 53% of white parents. And while nearly two-thirds of white parents said their doctor talked to them about peanuts, only about half of Black and Hispanic parents got the same advice.
It is now estimated that about 2% of children are affected by a peanut allergy, which can be life-threatening. Experts recommend starting peanut-containing foods like thinned peanut butter or peanut puffs around 4 to 6 months old, after other solids have been introduced and a baby shows readiness to eat.
“It’s surprising how inequitable implementation of guidelines remains, especially given how safe and effective early peanut feeding appears to be,” Warren said.
Doctors may need better tools to share this information clearly and consistently, especially during busy checkups. Culturally tailored handouts, changes to WIC food packages and outreach through Medicaid could help close the gap.
“Parents and primary care providers have limited time together during well-child visits, and many other topics compete for attention,” Warren said. “That’s why it’s essential that both groups are equipped with high-quality information and simple, effective guidance.”
The study, published July 8 in Academic Pediatrics, was funded by Food Allergy Research and Education.