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Daycare attendance and risk of first infectious disease
J P Collet1, T Ducruet, D Floret
1Unité de Pharmacologie Clinique, Lyon, France.
Insights
Starting daycare increases children's risk of initial respiratory infections like common colds, otitis, and wheezy bronchitis. Researchers suggest delaying daycare enrollment until after 12 months of age to mitigate these risks.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Daycare attendance is linked to increased respiratory infections in children.
- The specific risks and timing associated with initial daycare exposure require further definition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the risk of initial infectious episodes (common cold, otitis, wheezy bronchitis) following the commencement of daycare (DC) attendance.
- To evaluate the impact of age at daycare entry on the risk of these initial infections.
Main Methods:
- A survey was conducted on 1263 children aged 3 months to 3 years.
- The study analyzed the incidence of first-time common cold with fever, otitis, and wheezy bronchitis within two months of DC admission.
Main Results:
- Children newly attending DC showed significantly higher risks for initial infectious events compared to those at home.
- Risk ratios ranged from 1.7-2.4 for common colds, 1.5-1.9 for otitis, and 1.8-3.2 for wheezy bronchitis.
- Higher risk of repeated infections may be associated with earlier onset of the first infectious event.
Conclusions:
- Early daycare (DC) entry, particularly before 12 months, is associated with a substantially increased risk of initial respiratory infections.
- Consideration should be given to delaying DC admission until after 12 months of age to potentially reduce infection risk.
Abstract:
The health hazards of daycare attendance for the development of upper and lower respiratory tract infections have been well documented; however the importance and the mechanism of this association have not been well defined. In order to ascertain the risk associated with the beginning of daycare (DC) attendance we conducted a survey on 1263 children aged from 3 months to 3 years; the analysis focused on the risk of developing an initial episode of common cold with fever, a first otitis and a first wheezy bronchitis (WB) within the 2 month period following admission to DC. For each 2 month period, the risk of a first infectious event was much higher in children who had just begun attending DC than in children who remained at home; the risk ratio varied from 1.7 to 2.4 for common cold, from 1.5 to 1.9 for otitis and from 1.8 to 3.2 for WB. Because age at onset of the first infectious event may be related to a higher risk of repeated events we consider that admission to DC under 12 months of age should be questioned.