Experience of respiratory and allergic illness in children attending childcare.
OBJECTIVE
To describe previous illness for children attending two types of formal childcare (130 family daycare homes and 11 child daycare centres).


METHODS
A questionnaire was completed by the parents of 846 children, which provided information about previous illness and associated factors. The questionnaire was conducted in Perth, Western Australia.


RESULTS
Of all children, 39% had experienced otitis media, 11% glue ear and 26% allergies; 18% had been diagnosed with asthma; 10% had been admitted to hospital with respiratory illness, and 9% had experienced more than six respiratory conditions in the previous year. Attending centre daycare compared with family daycare was more likely to be associated with some of the previous illness outcomes (more than six respiratory illnesses in the past year, asthma, otitis media and glue ear) but, for all children, the major predisposing factors associated with these illnesses were a family history of atopy or bronchitis.


CONCLUSIONS
Children with a history of respiratory illness or otitis media are more likely to be attending centre than family daycare, but family history of respiratory illness is an important risk factor for all children in childcare.
Slack-Smith
Linda M
LM
Department of Public Health, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia. lindas@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Read
Anne W
AW
Stanley
Fiona J
FJ
D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002656:Child Day Care Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005192:Family Health; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007223:Infant; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology