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Otitis media in young children in different types of day-care
Insights
Otitis media, an ear infection, was more frequent in Swedish children aged 6-17 months attending day-care centers compared to home care. Family day-care homes showed similar ear infection rates to centers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Otitis media is a common childhood illness.
- Day-care settings may influence the incidence of infectious diseases in young children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the occurrence of otitis media in young children across different childcare settings in Sweden.
- To compare the incidence of otitis media in day-care centers, family day-care homes, and home care.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 108 children in day-care centers, 57 in home care, and 42 in family day-care homes.
- Children ranged from 6 months to 2 years old.
- Data collected over an 8-month period.
Main Results:
- 37% of children in day-care centers experienced at least one episode of otitis media, averaging 2.2 episodes each.
- Otitis media was more prevalent in 6- to 17-month-olds in day-care centers versus home care.
- Ear infection rates were similar between day-care centers and family day-care homes.
- Excluding infected children from centers did not significantly alter otitis media frequency.
Conclusions:
- Day-care centers, particularly for younger children, are associated with a higher incidence of otitis media compared to home care.
- Family day-care settings present a similar risk for otitis media as larger day-care centers.
- Infection control measures like exclusion of sick children showed no significant impact on otitis media rates in this study.
Abstract:
The occurrence of otitis media was studied in 108 Sweden children attending 14 day-care centers and compared with that in 57 children cared for in their own homes (usually with one or no sibling) and with that in 42 children in family day-care homes (where a woman cared for both her own and 1 to 4 other children in her home during the day). The children were 6 months to 2 years old. In the day-care centers 37% of the children had otitis media at least once during 8 months with an average of 2.2 episodes each. Otitis media was more common in 6- to 17-months-old children in the day-care centers than in children of the same age cared for in their own homes. The occurrences of otitis media in the day-care centers and in the family day-care homes were approximately equal. Children attending centers where those with signs of infection were excluded had otitis in about the same frequency as those attending centers where children with infections were accepted.