The percentage of children experiencing hay fever has increased from 32.7% 10 years ago to 42.6% today.
Nearly half of elementary school children experience hay fever, with 32.1% describing it as "very painful."
Meanwhile, over 30% of parents are unaware of their child's hay fever symptoms. Itchy
eyes can cause serious disruption to daily life, such as "difficulty concentrating on studying."
February 9, 2024
ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka City, President: Masafumi Sugimoto) conducted a survey on "hay fever in children" and found that approximately 40% of parents with children (ages 0-16) answered that their child has been "diagnosed with hay fever" or "thinks their child has hay fever," an increase of about 10 percentage points compared to a similar survey conducted by the company in 2014. Focusing on elementary school children, the percentage rose to about half (47.4%), with the average age of onset being 5.8 years. In addition, while about one in four parents answered that their child "cannot concentrate on classes or studying" due to itchy eyes, it was also revealed that about 30% of parents "do not take measures to prevent their child's hay fever."
Survey Summary
PART 1: Hay fever in children
- The percentage of children aged 0-16 who experience hay fever has increased from 32.7% 10 years ago to 42.6% currently.
- 47.4% of elementary school students have been diagnosed with hay fever or believe they have it, with the average age of onset being 5.8 years old.
- The most common symptom is a runny nose, followed by itchy eyes, with 32.1% reporting them as "very unpleasant."
- 53.9% of people report that hay fever affects their daily lives, such as making it difficult to concentrate on studying.
PART 2: The Parent-Child Gap Regarding Hay Fever
- 30.9% of parents of children with hay fever were unaware of certain "symptoms."
- 51.8% of parents of children with hay fever were unaware of the "impact on daily life."
PART 3: Measures to combat hay fever in children
- Compared to when the parents themselves were in elementary school, 88.3% believe that "children today are more prone to hay fever."
- 73.9% of parents believe that "children's hay fever is more severe than adults'."
- On the other hand, 28.2% of parents do not take measures to prevent their children from having hay fever.
- The number one measure being taken is "wearing a mask," while measures to address "itchy eyes" are a low priority.
PART 4: Itchy eyes in children with hay fever
- Itchy eyes can make it difficult to concentrate on studying or to enjoy playing outside.
- 44.2% of parents were unaware of the impact of itchy eyes on their child's daily life.
PART 5: Commentary by Dr. Kimihiro Okubo
- The reasons for the increase in hay fever among children are "changes in living environment" and "parents' predisposition to hay fever."
- The key indicator of a child's hay fever is "itchy eyes."