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[Are day care children often absent because of illness?]
1Département de santé communautaire, Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jésus, Québec.
Insights
Childhood illness causes significant absenteeism in Quebec City daycares. The study found a consistent illness-related absence rate of 5.6 days per 1,000 days of attendance across all centers and age groups.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Context:
- Daycare centers are crucial for early childhood development and socialization.
- Illness-related absenteeism in childcare settings impacts children, families, and public health.
- Understanding absence patterns is vital for resource allocation and disease prevention strategies.
Purpose:
- To determine the rate of illness-related absenteeism among children attending day care centers in Quebec City.
- To analyze absenteeism trends based on factors like age and specific day care facilities.
Summary:
- An 18-month observational study monitored 759 children across eight Quebec City day care centers.
- 481 children experienced absences due to illness, averaging 4.1 days per child.
- The overall absenteeism rate was calculated at 5.6 days per 1,000 potential days of attendance.
Impact:
- The findings provide baseline data on childhood illness absenteeism in a Canadian urban setting.
- The consistent rate across age groups and centers suggests widespread illness transmission dynamics.
- Results can inform public health interventions and daycare policies to mitigate the impact of infectious diseases.
Abstract:
Over an 18-month period, we observed 759 children attending eight day care centres in the Quebec City area to determine the rate of absenteeism due to illness in day care centres. 481 children were absent for a mean duration of 4.1 days. The absenteeism rate was 5.6 days out of a possible 1 000 days of attendance and did not vary with day care centre or age.