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Non-English-speaking families are falling behind on early peanut introduction for infants, a practice shown to reduce peanut allergy risk. A study of 3,170 infants found that families who didn't speak English were significantly less likely to introduce peanuts by 6 or 9 months. Researchers say multilingual resources and provider awareness are key to closing this gap.
Early peanut introduction during infancy is one of the most effective ways to prevent peanut allergies — but not all families are getting the memo, especially if they don't speak English. A retrospective study presented at the ACAAI Annual Scientific Meeting found that non-English-speaking families were significantly less likely to introduce peanuts to their infants at both the 6-month and 9-month well-child visits compared to English-speaking families.
The study analyzed data from 3,170 infants seen at two pediatric primary care sites within a large academic children's hospital between 2021 and 2026. Among the 240 infants from non-English-speaking families — representing 27 languages including Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, and Vietnamese — the gap in peanut introduction didn't narrow between the two visits, suggesting these families aren't catching up over time.
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Why it matters: As peanut allergy rates have begun to decline thanks to early introduction guidelines, this study highlights a critical equity gap. Researchers are now developing multilingual nutrition and allergy resources, and are urging providers to treat early peanut introduction as a priority — not just a checklist item — especially for families with language barriers.
