Studentz Ar Dumm

Good grief. Patricia Kirk of WebMD.com reported on a new study by the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS). It found that 42% of students with a known food allergy still ate foods that contained that ingredient.

Why?

[R]esearchers were given answers such as: "I thought I could eat around it," "The food item did not contain enough to cause a reaction," "I knew it could be treated," or "I've outgrown my allergy," says Matthew Greenhawt, MD, a pediatrician and fellow in the division of allergy & clinical immunology at UMHS.

Greenhawt added that:

"Many of these students are accustomed to their parents being in charge of their health care. Now that they're in college, they have to take this responsibility for themselves."

How big doofuses are these students?

Only 22% of students who reported a history of allergic reaction said they possessed a self-injectable device, such as an EpiPen or Twinject, to treat a severe reaction. About 28% of those who have one say they always carry it with them. Of the 55 students reporting a severe reaction to a food allergen in the past, 27 of them did not have the device.

Blame all around on this one. Parents, schools, doctors. And the doofuses themselves, who if they are old enough for college are old enough to know better.