Abstract
Infections are common in children attending daycare centres (DCCs). We evaluated the effect of a hand hygiene (HH) intervention for caregivers on the incidence of gastrointestinal and respiratory infections in children. The intervention was evaluated in a two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial. Thirty-six DCCs received the intervention including HH products, training sessions, and posters/stickers. Thirty-five control DCCs continued usual practice. Incidence of episodes of diarrhoea and the common cold in children was monitored by parents during 6 months. Using multilevel Poisson regression, incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained. Diarrhoeal incidence was monitored in 545 children for 91 937 days. During follow-up, the incidence was 3·0 episodes per child-year in intervention DCCs vs. 3·4 in control DCCs (IRR 0·90, 95% CI 0·73-1·11). Incidence of the common cold was monitored in 541 children for 91 373 days. During follow-up, the incidence was 8·2 episodes per child-year in intervention DCCs vs. 7·4 in control DCCs (IRR 1·07, 95% CI 0·97-1·19). In this study, no evidence for an effect of the intervention was demonstrated on the incidence of episodes of diarrhoea and the common cold.
Highlights
Children attending daycare centres (DCCs) acquire gastrointestinal and respiratory infections more often than children cared for at home [1, 2]
Of 553 children, five parents did not return any of the calendar pages with incidence data and three parents did not return any pages during followup, 545 children were included in the analyses
During follow-up there were 3·0 diarrhoeal episodes per child-year in intervention DCCs vs. 3·4 in control DCCs (IRR 0·90, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 0·73–1·11)
Summary
Children attending daycare centres (DCCs) acquire gastrointestinal and respiratory infections more often than children cared for at home [1, 2]. Several HH interventions have been developed to reduce DCC-related infections [6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14], inconsistent results on their effectiveness have been reported [15]. These interventions were not reported as being developed according to a stepwise behavioural approach using models and theories from the behavioural sciences to understand the determinants that underlie HH behaviour [16].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
