A Nationwide Survey on the Child Day Care and Common Infectious Diseases.
- Author:
Jong Gyun AHN
;
Seong Yeol CHOI
;
Dong Soo KIM
;
Ki Hwan KIM
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Child day care;
Infectious diseases;
Vaccination
- MeSH:
Child;
Child Care;
Communicable Diseases;
Surveys and Questionnaires;
Day Care, Medical;
Gastroenteritis;
Hepatitis A Vaccines;
Humans;
Immunization;
Immunization Programs;
Influenza, Human;
Otitis Media;
Pneumonia;
Rotavirus;
Vaccination;
Vaccines
- From:Korean Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases
2012;19(1):19-27
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: As the number of children who attend child care centers has increased, concerns has increased about the effect of child day care on childhood illness. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between experience in child care and common infectious diseases in children under 5 years of age. METHODS: Data were collected by surveying 1,000 respondents with children under age 5 through online interviews using a structured questionnaire. The contents of the survey were composed of demographic characteristics, child care facilities usage, experience in infectious diseases, and immunization status. RESULTS: Among the 1,000 children <5 years of age, 78.5% attended a child care facility. Rates of common communicable illnesses were higher in children in child care than for children reared exclusively at home. The predominant communicable diseases which the respondents' children experienced, in order of decreasing frequency, were gastroenteritis (47.1%), otitis media (41.8%) and pneumonia (19.1%). The immunization rate of vaccines that are not included the national immunization program (NIP) (Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine - 76.6%, hepatitis A vaccine - 63.3%, pneumococcal vaccine - 59.4%, rotavirus vaccine - 43.1%) was lower than that of the NIP vaccines (90.4%). CONCLUSION: Children in child care experience more bouts of common infectious disease, so nationwide policies to prevent or to control the spread of infectious agents in a child-care should be available and appropriate immunization should be emphasized as the most effective method for the control of infectious disease for children.
