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Association between child-care and acute diarrhea: a study in Portuguese children

Henrique Barros1, Nuno Lunet

  • 1Servição de Higiene e Epidemiologia, Faculdade de Medicina do Porto, Porto, Portugal. hbarros@med.up.pt

Revista De Saude Publica
|October 22, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Group child care settings significantly increase the risk of acute diarrhea in young children. This risk is elevated in group settings compared to individual care, regardless of the specific environment.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Disease Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Acute diarrhea remains a significant health concern in young children.
  • Child-care settings, particularly those involving group care, may influence infectious disease transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the impact of different child-care types on acute diarrhea incidence.
  • To specifically assess the effect of children grouping within child-care settings on diarrhea risk.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 292 children aged 24-36 months was evaluated.
  • Parental telephone interviews collected data on child-care type and prior year diarrhea occurrence.
  • Statistical analyses included Chi2, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and logistic regression to calculate adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).

Main Results:

  • Compared to individual home care, group care at home (OR 3.18) and group care in day-care homes (OR 2.28) increased diarrhea risk.
  • Day-care centers also showed an increased risk (OR 2.54).
  • Children transitioning to day-care centers had a substantially higher risk (OR 7.65).

Conclusions:

  • Group child care, irrespective of the setting (home or center-based), is associated with a higher risk of acute diarrhea.
  • The findings underscore the importance of considering child-care arrangements in strategies to prevent infectious diseases in young children.
Abstract

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