The Amish in the study “practice traditional farming, live on single-family dairy farms, and use horses for fieldwork and transportation. The Hutterites live on large, highly industrialized, communal farms.” There is another major difference, this having to do with the prevalence of allergy. Only 5 percent of Amish schoolchildren suffered asthma, compared to 21 percent for the Hutterites. On a slightly lesser measure of sensitivity—called allergic sensitization—7 percent of Amish kids qualified, compared to 33 percent for Hutterities.
