PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Children who attend group child care centers get more infections then, but fewer during school years

2010-12-07
(Press-News.org) Children who attend large group child care facilities before age 2½ appear to develop more respiratory and ear infections at that age, but fewer such illnesses during elementary school years, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

"Preschool children in group child care experience more frequent infections than do children cared for primarily at home, and the risk seems greater when children attend larger group child care [facilities]," the authors write as background information in the article. "These findings have created concerns that group child care may compromise the health of young children and their community. However, few studies have examined the impact of group child care on infections beyond the preschool years."

Sylvana M. Côté, Ph.D., of Ste-Justine Hospital and the University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and colleagues studied 1,238 families with newborns in 1998. Mothers reported whether their children went to a large child care facility (defined as a center where professional educators care for up to 10 groups of eight to 12 children), a small child care facility (home-based centers where a caretaker watches three to eight children) or were cared for at home. For eight years, the researchers regularly obtained information about how often the children had respiratory tract infections, ear infections or gastrointestinal infections during early preschool (before age 2 ½ years), late preschool (ages 3 ½ to 4 ½) and early elementary school (ages 5 to 8).

Compared with children cared for at home until elementary school, those who began attending large group child care before age 2 ½ had higher rates of respiratory infections and ear infections during early preschool, the same risk of infection during the late preschool period and lower risks of contracting respiratory tract or ear infections during early elementary school. However, those who started in small group child care in early preschool and never went into large care settings did not have any differences in infection risk. Moreover, those who were first cared for at home but then started at any size child care facility during late preschool had a higher risk of ear infections at that time, but no other differences in infection risk.

Group child care was not associated with gastrointestinal infections at any period in the children's development.

The findings suggest that developmental processes may underlie the association between early exposure to large groups of children and reduced infection risk, the authors note. "One possible mechanism that has received empirical support in the context of long-term protection against asthma involves an increased repeated stimulation of the immature immune system by early and mild infections," they write. "Future studies are necessary to investigate this and other mechanisms that may account for the results."

"This study provides reassuring evidence for parents that their choices regarding child care (group size and age at enrollment) should not have a major effect on the health of their children from a long-term (eight-year) perspective, at least regarding respiratory tract infections with fever, gastrointestinal tract infections and ear infections," the authors conclude. "Children who initiate large-group child care early (i.e., before age 2 ½ years) may even gain protection against infections during the elementary school years, when absenteeism carries more important consequences for school adaptation and performance. Physicians may reassure parents whose children initiate large group child care early that their child's experiencing infections is temporary and is likely to provide them with greater immunity during the elementary school years."

INFORMATION: (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010;164[12]:1132-1137. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org.)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

To contact Sylvana M. Côté, Ph.D., call Julie Gazaille at 514-343-6796 or e-mail j.cordeau-gazaille@umontreal.ca.

For More Information: Contact the JAMA/Archives Media Relations Department at 312-464-JAMA or email: mediarelations@jama-archives.org.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Sports participation does not guarantee that children get enough physical activity

2010-12-07
Only about one-fourth of children participating in organized sports—such as baseball, softball or soccer—receive the government-recommended amount of physical activity during team practices, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the April 2011 print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. National guidelines recommend that children and teens perform 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day, but fewer than half of children and 10 percent of teens meet these guidelines, according ...

Teens who perpetrate dating violence also likely to perpetrate violence involving siblings or peers

2010-12-07
Dating violence among adolescents is common and those who physically assault dating partners are also likely to have perpetrated violence involving siblings and peers, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "As many as one in ten U.S. high school students reports having been 'hit, slapped or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend' in the past year," the authors write as background information in the article. "Research on victims of dating violence has demonstrated ...

Mindfulness-based therapy helps prevent depression relapse

2010-12-07
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy appears to be similar to maintenance antidepressant medication for preventing relapse or recurrence among patients successfully treated for depression, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "Relapse and recurrence after recovery from major depressive disorder are common and debilitating outcomes that carry enormous personal, familial and societal costs," the authors write as background information in the article. The current standard for preventing relapse is ...

Depression treatment rates increase over past decade, but psychotherapy declines

2010-12-07
The rate of depression treatment increased between 1998 and 2007 but at a slower rate than during the previous decade, and the percentage of patients treated with psychotherapy continued to decline, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "Depression is a leading cause of disability, lost productivity and health care expenditure," the authors write as background information in the article. During the 1990s, the rate of depression treatment increased substantially, from 0.73 percent in 1987 to 2.33 ...

Psychotic-like symptoms associated with poor outcomes in patients with depression

2010-12-07
Among patients with depression, the presence of many aspects of illness which may be associated with bipolar disorder does not appear to be associated with treatment resistance—evidence against the common hypothesis that some cases of difficult-to-treat depression are actually unrecognized bipolar disorder, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the April 2011 print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. However, many patients with depression also report psychotic-like symptoms, such as hearing voices or believing ...

Color test predicts response to hypnotherapy

2010-12-07
When people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were asked to relate their mood to a color, those choosing a positive color were nine times more likely to respond to hypnotherapy than those who chose a negative color or no color at all. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggest that these findings could be used to predict responders to treatment. Peter Whorwell worked with a team of researchers from the University of Manchester, UK, to carry out the study using a color chart called the 'Manchester Color Wheel' which ...

Peer pressure can keep you healthy

2010-12-07
Hanging out with healthy friends could be the best way to keep fit. A study of 3610 Australian women, published in BioMed Central's open access International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that physical activity and healthy eating behavior were both strongly affected by social norms. Kylie Ball, from Deakin University, Australia, worked with a team of researchers to survey the 18-46 year old women. She said, "The importance of social environmental influences on health-promoting behaviors such as physical activity and healthy eating has been ...

JAK inhibitors producing significant response in myelofibrosis patients

2010-12-07
ORLANDO, Fla. — Two janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are substantially improving treatment of myelofibrosis (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/myelofibrosis/DS00886) in patients, say Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.org/) researchers who are presenting results of several clinical trials at the 52nd annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (http://www.hematology.org/ ) (ASH) Dec. 4𔃅 in Orlando. VIDEO ALERT: Additional audio and video resources, including excerpts from an interview with Drs. Animesh Pardanani and Ayalew Tefferi describing the research, ...

Study identifies drug resistance of CLL in bone marrow and lymph nodes

2010-12-07
ORLANDO ––– In research to be presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting, investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston offer a new explanation of why chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) tends to recur in the lymph nodes and bone marrow after being cleared from the bloodstream by chemotherapy. Their findings will be reported during in an oral session on Monday, Dec. 6, at 4:45 p.m. in room 315 of the Orange County Convention Center. To uncover the reasons for CLL's resilience in the marrow and lymph nodes, the researchers employed a ...

Ravenous foreign pests threaten national treasures

2010-12-07
Foreign pests are eating their way through our national forests, destroying majestic scenery and costing taxpayers millions of dollars. If enforcement efforts to prevent their importation aren't stepped up, irreplaceable resources will be lost forever and taxpayers can expect to fork over billions of dollars by 2019, according to a comprehensive study published today in BioScience. Researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Michigan State University, the University of Central Florida and the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service analyzed ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Scientists unlock secrets behind flowering of the king of fruits

Texas A&M researchers illuminate the mysteries of icy ocean worlds

Prosthetic material could help reduce infections from intravenous catheters

Can the heart heal itself? New study says it can

Microscopic discovery in cancer cells could have a big impact

Rice researchers take ‘significant leap forward’ with quantum simulation of molecular electron transfer

Breakthrough new material brings affordable, sustainable future within grasp

How everyday activities inside your home can generate energy

Inequality weakens local governance and public satisfaction, study finds

Uncovering key molecular factors behind malaria’s deadliest strain

UC Davis researchers help decode the cause of aggressive breast cancer in women of color

Researchers discovered replication hubs for human norovirus

SNU researchers develop the world’s most sensitive flexible strain sensor

Tiny, wireless antennas use light to monitor cellular communication

Neutrality has played a pivotal, but under-examined, role in international relations, new research shows

Study reveals right whales live 130 years — or more

Researchers reveal how human eyelashes promote water drainage

Pollinators most vulnerable to rising global temperatures are flies, study shows

DFG to fund eight new research units

Modern AI systems have achieved Turing's vision, but not exactly how he hoped

Quantum walk computing unlocks new potential in quantum science and technology

Construction materials and household items are a part of a long-term carbon sink called the “technosphere”

First demonstration of quantum teleportation over busy Internet cables

Disparities and gaps in breast cancer screening for women ages 40 to 49

US tobacco 21 policies and potential mortality reductions by state

AI-driven approach reveals hidden hazards of chemical mixtures in rivers

Older age linked to increased complications after breast reconstruction

ESA and NASA satellites deliver first joint picture of Greenland Ice Sheet melting

Early detection model for pancreatic necrosis improves patient outcomes

Poor vascular health accelerates brain ageing

[Press-News.org] Children who attend group child care centers get more infections then, but fewer during school years