Child Day Care Center Use and Mental Stress of Working Mothers

Background: Some of the working mothers use child day care center (CDCC) for their children to reduce their mental stress. This study was designed to assess the association between mental stress of working mothers and child day care center use. Methods: This comparative cross sectional study was conducted among 106 working mothers of whom 53 were CDCC users and 53 were non-users from January to December, 2019. Data were collected by face to face interview by a semi-structured questionnaire. Mental stress was estimated by Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Data were analyzed by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Quality control checks for data were done. All ethical issues were maintained strictly in different stages of the study and informed written consent was taken from each individual. Results: Mean (±SD) age was 32.92(± 2.901) and 33.55(± 3.160) years in CDCC users and non-users respectively. Average monthly family income was Tk.191698.11 in CDCC users and Tk. 209433.96 in non-users. Majority (67.9%) of the CDCC users lived in nuclear family while 67.9% of the CDCC non-users lived in joint family. Mothers had significantly higher (85.5%) stress who had maid servant in comparison to mothers who had not and mothers had higher (75.0%) stress who suffered from illness compared to mothers who did not suffer and it was significant (p<0.05). Both low (61.5%) and moderate (59.4%) stress were significantly higher among CDCC users while high stress (83.3%) was significantly higher among CDCC non-users. Chance of having low stress was high (OR=8.0) in mothers who were CDCC users than mothers who were CDCC non-users. Conclusion: CDCC non-users had high level of mental stress than the CDCC users. CDCC should be established with every organization to reduce the mental stress of working mothers. JOPSOM 2021; 40(1): 59-65

REVISÃO INTEGRATIVA SOBRE DOENÇAS PARASITÁRIAS EM CRIANÇAS DE CRECHES BRASILEIRAS

As parasitoses intestinais constituem um importante problema de Saúde Pública, especialmente entre os pré-escolares, devido à imaturidade do sistema imune. Assim, este estudo objetivou realizar uma revisão integrativa dos estudos publicados entre os anos de 2010 a 2017 sobre parasitoses intestinais e os fatores associados ao desenvolvimento em crianças matriculadas em creches brasileiras. Foi realizada busca bibliográfica através das bases de dados Medline, Lilacs e SciELO, utilizando os descritores: infecção, parasitoses, diarreia e creches, e seus correspondentes em inglês: “infection”, “parasitc diseases”, “diarrhea” e “child day care centers”. No caso das buscas no Medline o descritor Brazil também foi usado. Foram identificados 59 estudos, dos quais 11 foram incluídos no presente trabalho. Entre os resultados, observou-se uma variação de 19,4% a 98,4%, sendo a Giardia duodenalis o parasito mais prevalente em crianças entre um e seis anos de idade, gênero masculino, com baixo peso, advindas de residências com alta densidade familiar e nível socioeconômico baixo. As análises evidenciaram a importância da compreensão dos fatores de risco para a incidência de parasitos, evidenciando a necessidade da promoção de estratégias efetivas para prevenção e controle das infecções parasitárias no país, visto que, tais infecções influenciam diretamente no desenvolvimento da criança, e em alguns casos, evoluindo ao óbito.

Bacterias multirresistentes en Centros de Cuidado de niños

Purpose:To describe the antibiotic resistance of isolated bacteria on the surfaces of child care centers. Methods:Swabs were used to sample the surfaces in 266 child care centers in Bogotá (Colombia). Bacterial characterization and susceptibility patterns were verified using a computerized system. Results:A total of 151 different bacteria were obtained, primarily in the kitchens (36%). Staphylococcuswas a frequent find, especially: S. hominis, S. saprophyticusand S. epidermidis;2.7% were resistant to methicillin. Klebsiella oxytocawas the most isolated bacteria in kitchens, with high resistance to antibiotics. Conclusion:This investigation shows the importance of identifying the bacteria present in different environments to which children are exposed to continuously supervise hygiene habits in child day care centers.

Agarwala and Ghumaan_Covid-19_Impact of Covid-19 on women in South Asia

The first reports of COVID-19 cases were traced in Wuhan City, China, in late December 2019, post which, the deadly virus rapidly registered itself into the category of pandemics. It has continued to upend lives across the world ever since. “Lockdowns” have ensued, aimed at saving lives by putting the virus on leash, and preventing health systems from being overrun. Such quarantine measures have led to economic depression, leaving millions jobless, befalling deplorably the more vulnerable sections of society, women and girls being the primary unseen targets globally. The socio-economic downturns of the pandemic, such as closure of work places, child day-care facilities, schools, decrease in cross-country migration, and so on, have impacted women across different strata. In this article, we have attempted to collect and collate information related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and girls in South Asia. Owing to unavailability of sufficient research literature on the gendered aspect of COVID-19 in South Asia, we present excerpts and case studies from various local sources like newspapers, blogs, online archives, press releases, journal articles, and some statistics of gendered impact of COVID-19 from well-respected sources. Through this article we aim to illuminate the reader about the plight of women in such a distressful time, a matter particularly less-focused on by the governments in South Asia, at the same time highlight the importance of addressing the alarming issue of staggering gender imbalance in bringing our world back to an equilibrium and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Parents’ Knowledge and Perspectives About the New CACFP Meal Guidelines: A Qualitative Investigation

Objectives Child day care centers that serve low-income families may qualify to participate in the US Department of Agriculture Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and receive reimbursement for meals and snacks served. In 2017, day care sites were mandated to follow the new CACFP meal guidelines. The objective of this study was to assess knowledge and perspectives about the new CACFP meal guidelines among parents of children attending day care sites. Methods Individual interviews and focus groups with parents of children at CACFP day care sites in two Texas cities. Qualitative data were coded and analyzed using using a modified version of focused coding and grounded theory methods. Themes and sub-themes were identified. Quantitative data were analyzed for frequencies and descriptives. Results A total of 54 parents participated via 29 individual interviews and 7 focus groups and completed questionnaires. All participants were females; majority were Hispanics and with income &lt; $20,000, about 67% were aware of the new CACFP meal guidelines. Five major themes emerged: thoughts on menus and meals served at day care (sub-themes: overall menu, nutritional value, portion size, quality, variety of options), perceived child likability of foods served at day care, perceived child satiety, suggested changes to meals, and barriers to children eating meals at day care (sub-themes: time, child preferences). Conclusions This study helped identify thoughts and perceptions of parents of children attending CACFP day care. Issues identified should be systematically addressed and incorporated into CACFP menu planning at day care sites. Funding Sources NIH and USDA-ARS.

Review Article: Indoor Biological Contaminants in the Built Environment

Occupants of buildings spent most of their time indoors and posed themselves to the indoor biological contaminants (i.e. bacteria and fungi) in the built environment. However, the factors that influenced the prevalence of suspended bacteria and fungi in the air of the built environment are not well recognised. Authorities must take the growth of biological contaminants seriously to prevent serious health effects among occupants of buildings. This review summarises the factors (i.e. outdoor air, dust, ventilation problems, humidity/moisture surface problems and human occupancy) of indoor biological contaminants and their species in buildings that could worsen the indoor air quality. Bacteria species could exist in various indoor buildings (i.e. schools, cafeterias, mosques, faculties, child day-care centres, hospitals, dwellings, educational buildings, homes, elderly care centres, libraries, restaurants, and factories). The dominant bacteria were Bacillus spp. (24.1 %), Staphylococcus spp. (20.7 %), and Micrococcus spp. (20.7 %) whereas for fungi species were Penicillium spp. (25 %), Cladosporium spp. (21.9 %), and Aspergillus spp. (21.9 %).

Flatten the Curve!

Since the emerging of the "novel coronavirus" SARS-CoV-2 and the corresponding respiratory disease COVID-19, the virus has spread all over the world. Being one of the most affected countries in Europe, in March 2020, Germany established several nonpharmaceutical interventions to contain the virus spread, including the closure of schools and child day care facilities (March 16-18, 2020) as well as a full "lockdown" with forced social distancing and closures of "nonessential" services (March 23, 2020). The present study attempts to analyze whether these governmental interventions had an impact on the declared aim of "flattening the curve", referring to the epidemic curve of new infections. This analysis is conducted from a regional perspective. On the level of the 412 German counties, logistic growth models were estimated based on daily infections (estimated from reported cases), aiming at determining the regional growth rate of infections and the point of inflection where infection rates begin to decrease and the curve flattens. All German counties exceeded the peak of new infections between the beginning of March and the middle of April. In a large majority of German counties, the epidemic curve has flattened before the "lockdown" was established. In a minority of counties, the peak was already exceeded before school closures. The growth rates of infections vary spatially depending on the time the virus emerged. Counties belonging to states which established an additional curfew show no significant improvement with respect to growth rates and mortality. Furthermore, mortality varies strongly across German counties, which can be attributed to infections of people belonging to the "risk group", especially residents of retirement homes. The decline of infections in absence of the "lockdown" measures could be explained by 1) earlier governmental interventions (e.g., cancellation of mass events, domestic quarantine), 2) voluntary behavior changes (e.g., physical distancing and hygiene), 3) seasonality of the virus, and 4) a rising but undiscovered level of immunity within the population. The results raise the question whether formal contact bans and curfews really contribute to curve flattening within a pandemic.

Child Day-Care Centres as Supervisory Authorities? The Control of the Measles Vaccination in Germany Burdens the Trust Relationship Between Centres, Parents and Children

In Germany there have been intense discussions about measles vaccination and, as a consequence, the “Law for the Protection against Measles and for Strengthening Vaccination Prevention (Measles Protection Act)” was passed. The Measles Protection Act has now been in force since 1 March 2020 and has far-reaching consequences for day-care centres for two reasons. First, children and staff in day-care centres must prove that they have been vaccinated against measles before being admitted to the centre. Second, day-care facilities are obliged to notify the local health authority if sufficient proof of measles vaccination is not provided for a child in the day-care facility. This shift in responsibility for the control of the vaccination status poses a great threat to the relationship of trust between parents and educational staff.

Change points in the spread of COVID-19 question the effectiveness of nonpharmaceutical interventions in Germany

AimsNonpharmaceutical interventions against the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Germany included the cancellation of mass events (from March 8), closures of schools and child day care facilities (from March 16) as well as a “lockdown” (from March 23). This study attempts to assess the effectiveness of these interventions in terms of revealing their impact on infections over time.MethodsDates of infections were estimated from official German case data by incorporating the incubation period and an empirical reporting delay. Exponential growth models for infections and reproduction numbers were estimated and investigated with respect to change points in the time series.ResultsA significant decline of daily and cumulative infections as well as reproduction numbers is found at March 8 (CI [7, 9]), March 10 (CI [9, 11] and March 3 (CI [2, 4]), respectively. Further declines and stabilizations are found in the end of March. There is also a change point in new infections at April 19 (CI [18, 20]), but daily infections still show a negative growth. From March 19 (CI [18, 20]), the reproduction numbers fluctuate on a level below one.ConclusionsThe decline of infections in early March 2020 can be attributed to relatively small interventions and voluntary behavioural changes. Additional effects of later interventions cannot be detected clearly. Liberalizations of measures did not induce a re-increase of infections. Thus, the effectiveness of most German interventions remains questionable. Moreover, assessing of interventions is impeded by the estimation of true infection dates and the influence of test volume.

Flatten the Curve! Modeling SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Growth in Germany at the County Level

Since the emerging of the “novel coronavirus” SARS-CoV-2 and the corresponding respiratory disease COVID-19, the virus has spread all over the world. Being one of the most affected countries in Europe, in March 2020, Germany established several nonpharmaceutical interventions to contain the virus spread, including the closure of schools and child day care facilities (March 16-18, 2020) as well as a full “lockdown” with forced social distancing and closures of “nonessential” services (March 23, 2020). The present study attempts to analyze whether these governmental interventions had an impact on the declared aim of “flattening the curve”, referring to the epidemic curve of new infections. This analysis is conducted from a regional perspective. On the level of the 412 German counties, logistic growth models were estimated based on daily infections (estimated from reported cases), aiming at determining the regional growth rate of infections and the point of inflection where infection rates begin to decrease and the curve flattens. All German counties exceeded the peak of new infections between the beginning of March and the middle of April. In a large majority of German counties, the epidemic curve has flattened before the “lockdown” was established. In a minority of counties, the peak was already exceeded before school closures. The growth rates of infections vary spatially depending on the time the virus emerged. Counties belonging to states which established an additional curfew show no significant improvement with respect to growth rates and mortality. Furthermore, mortality varies strongly across German counties, which can be attributed to infections of people belonging to the “risk group”, especially residents of retirement homes. The results raise the question whether social ban measures and curfews really contribute to curve flattening within a pandemic.