Korean J Pediatr Infect Dis.  2012 Apr;19(1):19-27.

A Nationwide Survey on the Child Day Care and Common Infectious Diseases

• Ahn JG
• Choi SY
• Kim DS
• Kim KH

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.

Keyword

Child day care; Infectious diseases; Vaccination

MeSH Terms

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
Hepatitis A Vaccines
Vaccines

Figure

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  Fig. 1 The common infectious diseases which the respondents' children experienced, according to the use of day care center. URI, upper respiratory infection; HFMD, Hand-foot-mouth disease. P values based on chi-square tests are indicated. Statistically significant differences between two groups are indicated by asterisks.

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  Fig. 2 Age at the first experience of pneumonia (A), otitis media (B), and gastroenteritis (C), according to the use of day care center.

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  Fig. 3 Reasons not to vaccinate. This figure shows the results of 92 respondents with children who did not receive the national immunization program (NIP) vaccines.

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