If you’re heading off to college this fall, you’re probably thinking about everything that comes with living away from home for the first time: moving into your dorm, meeting new people, finding your classes and figuring out a new routine. But if you live with asthma, food allergies, eczema, hay fever or another allergic condition, there’s another important transition to prepare for: managing your health on your own.
At home, your parents or caregivers may have helped schedule your doctor’s appointments, pick up your prescriptions, remind you to take your medications or recognize when your symptoms were getting worse. Once you’re on your own, those responsibilities increasingly become yours. And while managing a chronic condition may not be at the top of your back-to-school checklist, knowing how to care for yourself can make it easier to adjust to college life with confidence.
Asthma and allergic conditions are among the most common chronic health conditions affecting children and adolescents. With the right treatment plan, they can be successfully managed—but you need to understand more than just your diagnosis. You should know how to recognize your symptoms, when and how to take your medications, how to avoid your triggers and when to seek emergency medical care.
College can also introduce you to triggers and situations you may not have encountered at home. Your dorm room could expose you to dust mites or mold, while your new campus may have different pollen levels, pollution or weather patterns. If you have food allergies, navigating dining halls and shared kitchens may require extra planning. Tobacco smoke and vaping can also trigger symptoms. And the normal pressures of college—including stress, irregular sleep, changes in diet and a packed schedule—can make it harder to stay on top of your health.
The good news is that you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Before you leave for campus, you can take steps to make sure you’re prepared to manage your asthma or allergies independently. With a little planning and support from your parents or caregivers and healthcare team, you can start your first year away from home feeling prepared—not worried—about taking care of yourself.
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Asthma and conditions such as hay fever, eczema and food allergies are the most common chronic health conditions affecting children and adolescents. They are manageable and can be successfully treated when a long-term plan tailored to each individual is established. This involves understanding how to recognize symptoms, when to take medication, how to avoid triggers and when to seek emergency medical care.
On a larger scale, this also requires navigating the healthcare system, including refilling and obtaining medications, copayments, insurance coverage and scheduling medical appointments. It’s a lot – even for someone who isn’t spending their first school year away from home.
Transitioning toward independent living presents an opportunity for developing new life skills, finding a new social network and managing everything from grocery shopping to class schedules and studying. College campuses and dormitories can introduce new triggers like dust mites, pollen and mold. Other elements that might be introduced include different weather patterns, as well as exposure to tobacco smoke, vaping, drugs and alcohol. In addition, any chronic health condition can be negatively affected by stress, sleep deprivation, lack of exercise and poor diet. With awareness and planning, these factors can all be navigated.
Preparing adolescents with asthma and allergies for self-management ideally begins at the start of high school. This can begin with simple discussions about when and how to contact pharmacies to refill medications, how to schedule an appointment with their doctor and knowing which emergency room to go to, if necessary. Parents and allergists can also help adolescents prepare by reviewing scenarios that have caused symptoms in the past and by discussing ways to avoid triggers or pretreat with medications.
Creating a plan for sticking to daily medications is also important as adolescents face many normal developmental challenges. Their still-developing brains can limit their ability to remember to use medications or appreciate long-term consequences of their actions.
When it comes time to visit college campuses, the conversation should include how the climate, pollution, pollen season and dorm room accommodations may impact their health and if applicable, how dining halls approach food allergies.
Once college enrollment occurs, it can be helpful for young people to meet with the pediatrician or allergist who has been managing their asthma and allergies (ideally before the hectic last summer at home begins). They can provide letters of medical necessity regarding dorm rooms (for example, the need for air conditioning, avoidance of pets, single versus multi-occupancy). In addition, transferring prescriptions to a local pharmacy and identification of local emergency departments should be discussed.
Young people who are attending college far from home or who need frequent office visits for administration of allergy shots or medication may need to establish care with a different (local) allergist. The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has a convenient search tool to help patients find board-certified allergists near any location in the United States.
Transitioning to college can be both a fun and busy time. The last thing a new student wants to worry about is managing their chronic health condition. With some preparation and ongoing reminders, the goal for everyone with asthma and allergies should be to participate in all activities with minimal disruption.
Parents can support their teens as they transition to self-management by discussing these important topics and offering gentle, supportive reminders. Allergists love helping families during this period, so don’t hesitate to reach out for guidance and support. If you or your child is interested in learning more, visit www.acaai.org for a library of information related to allergic conditions.
About the expert
Dr. David Stukus, MD, is a professor of clinical pediatrics and the director of the Food Allergy Treatment Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Stukus is the current president-elect for the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. In addition, he is an associate editor for Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and previously served as an elected member of the executive committee for the section on allergy and immunology within the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Stukus has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed articles, two books (just finished writing his third) and a dozen book chapters. He is active on social media as @AllergyKidsDoc where he combats misinformation.
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