Recorded presentation

Jonathan Kotch, MD, MPH¹, Patricia Isbell, PhD², Stephen Fowlkes², Viet Nguyen², Jasveer Virk², Jonnell Allen³, Eric Savage, MA⁴, Martie Skinner⁴, Elizabeth Gunn⁴, June Locklear⁵, and David J. Weber, MD⁶. (1) Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, CB# 7445 Rosenau Hall, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7445, 919 966-5976, jonathan_kotch@unc.edu, (2) Department of Maternal and Child Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 8126, 116A S. Merritt Mill Rd., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8126, (3) Geography, Student, 130 Channing Ln, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, (4) Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 8185 Sheryl Mar Bldg., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8185, (5) Division of Child Development, 319 Chapanoke Rd., Raleigh, NC 27699-2201, (6) Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7030, Bioinformatics Bldg., Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7030

The Quality Enhancement Project for Infants and Toddlers of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill undertook to test whether state-of-the-art diapering, handwashing and food preparation equipment could reduce the incidence of infectious diarrhea among infants, toddlers, and staff in out-of-home child care centers. With funding from North Carolina’s Division of Child Development, 46 child care centers were selected and randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. The intervention group had the unique equipment installed, consisting of diaper changing tables, toddler vanities, and food preparation surfaces with seamless, poured polymer tops and integrated sinks with touchless faucets and cabinet doors. Both control and intervention groups received intensive training in sanitation and hygiene with regular feedback from child care health consultants. The centers submitted attendance forms for both children and staff, and biweekly telephone interviews elicited children’s illness patterns. After 7 months, multivariate analyses using Poisson regression revealed that the frequency of diarrhea among infants and toddlers, their number of days ill, and the days ill due to illness among child care staff were significantly better in the intervention centers than in the control centers.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.The learner will be able to describe the need for prevention of infectious disease transmission in child care
• 2.The learner will be able to discuss the findings of the Healthy Child Care Environments study
• 3.The learner will understand the implications of the study findings

Keywords: Child Care, Infectious Diseases

Related Web page: www.sabregrp.com/Hatteras/hatteras_collection.htm

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The Hatteras Collection (tm) is a product of the Sabre Companies, LLC.
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation