Screening for faecal contamination in primary schools in Crete, Greece.
BACKGROUND
Hygienic conditions in primary schools are a major concern for both governmental organizations and families. Particularly, the occurrence of faecal indicators on children's hands and various school surfaces has been associated with increased risk of diarrhoeal diseases. The presence of faecal streptococci on environmental surfaces and children's hands and the possible correlation with socio-economic factors were examined.


METHODS
Overall, 1956 samples from hands and 1470 samples from surfaces were collected from 20 primary schools in Heraklion, Crete, Greece.


RESULTS
Faecal streptococci were found at 52.9% of children's hands and at 16.7% of other surfaces. Children, who had parents with the highest education level (>12 years), had the lowest percentage (48.8%) of faecal contamination on their hands. Furthermore, boys exhibited higher levels of hands contamination compared with girls. Among the environmental surfaces examined, the school canteen reception was the most contaminated area.


CONCLUSIONS
High faecal contamination was detected in primary schools in the examined region. Children's hands were highly infected (52.9%), while boys exhibited higher levels of contamination. The educational level of parents correlated well with the contamination of children's hands.
Kyriacou
A
A
Department of Dietetics and Nutritional Science, Harokopio University, Kallithea, Greece. mkyriacou@hua.gr
Drakopoulou
S
S
Georgaki
I
I
Fountoulakis
M
M
Mitsou
E
E
Lasaridi
K E
KE
Manios
Y
Y
Manios
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006225:Hand / Q000382:microbiology*; D006235:Hand Disinfection / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education; D012574:Schools; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires