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Occurrence of infectious symptoms in children in day care homes
A M Butz1, E Larson, P Fosarelli
1Department of Pediatrics, School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205.
Insights
An intervention program significantly reduced enteric disease symptoms like diarrhea in family day care homes. The program focused on hygiene practices, including handwashing and glove use, to protect children from infectious diseases.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
- Childcare Hygiene
Background:
- Child day care centers, including family day care homes, are environments where enteric pathogens can easily spread among young children.
- Diaper changing is identified as a high-risk activity for pathogen transmission in these settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the efficacy of a multi-component intervention program in reducing infectious disease symptoms in children attending family day care homes.
- To determine the impact of enhanced hygiene protocols on the incidence of enteric and respiratory symptoms.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 24 family day care homes, divided into intervention and control groups.
- The intervention comprised a handwashing education program, use of vinyl gloves, disposable diaper changing pads, and alcohol-based hand rinse for providers.
Main Results:
- A significant reduction in enteric disease symptoms (diarrhea and vomiting) was observed in the intervention group (p ≤ 0.05).
- No significant difference in respiratory symptoms was found between the intervention and control groups (p = 0.35).
- Diarrhea occurred at a rate of approximately one episode per month per family day care home.
Conclusions:
- The intervention program effectively decreased the incidence of enteric infections in family day care settings.
- Targeted hygiene interventions are crucial for controlling the spread of gastrointestinal illnesses in childcare environments.
- Further research may explore the impact on other types of infections and long-term health outcomes.
Abstract:
Transmission of enteric pathogens is facilitated in child day care centers, including family day care homes, by frequent and intimate exposure among susceptible hosts, with diaper changing as the highest-risk procedure for such transmission. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention program in decreasing the incidence of infectious disease symptoms in children attending family day care homes during a 12-month period. Each of 24 family day care homes was randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. The intervention included four components: (1) a handwashing educational program and (2) use of vinyl gloves, (3) use of disposable diaper changing pads, and (4) use of an alcohol-based hand rinse by the day care provider. Symptoms of enteric disease (diarrhea and vomiting) were significantly reduced in intervention family day care homes (p less than or equal to 0.05), whereas respiratory symptoms were not significantly different between intervention and control family day care homes (p = 0.35). Diarrhea was reported in 1 of every 100 child care days, representing one diarrhea episode per month in a typical family day care home.