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Hygienic practices and acute respiratory illness in family and group day care homes

Abstract:

Objective. To describe hygiene practices in licensed group day care and family day care homes and the association between these practices and the prevalence of respiratory illnesses in the children in attendance. Methods. Self-administered surveys were mailed to 137 group and 204 family day care providers. Results. Wearing diapers and being younger than age three were associated with a higher frequency of respiratory illness. Children attending family day care homes had more respiratory illness than children attending group day care homes. Infrequent washing of children's or providers' hands after nose wiping, after diapering, before meals, and before food preparation was significantly associated with a higher frequency of respiratory illness. Use of shared cloth towels instead of individual paper towels and washing of sleeping mats less than once a week were also associated with a higher frequency of respiratory illness. Conclusions. The findings underscore the importance of handwashing and other hygiene practices in reducing the spread of disease in day care settings.