Search

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a major concern at daycare centers, due to the weaker immune system of children. Although IAQ is typically measured in accordance with the ISO-16000 standard, environmental sensors have recently become widely used due to their ability to consistently monitor air quality at a lower cost. In this study, We installed IoT sensors indoors and outdoors at ten daycare centers to measure PM(PM2.5, PM10), CO2, temperature, and humidity, as well as window opening-closing sensors to identify ventilation behavior. Indoor PM concentrations were consistently lower than outdoor levels, increasing from 7:00 AM, peaking between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM, and decreasing during nap time (12:00 PM to 2:00 PM). CO2 levels were generally higher indoors than outdoors, peaking at 2:00 PM before decreasing. Windows were opened more frequently at 7:00 AM, 8:30 AM, and 3:00 PM. The correlation analysis revealed that significant factors influencing CO2 concentration were window opening duration. Ventilation rates per person at the daycare centers ranged from 1.77 to 10.69 m3/h, below both Korean and ASHRAE guidelines. The results of this study can provide valuable insights for developing strategies to improve indoor air quality in daycare centers that depend on window ventilation.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze menu patterns and food group diversity in daycare centers managed by the Center for Children's Foodservice Management in South Korea. Methods: Data from 18 Center for Children's Foodservice Management centers across various provinces (excluding Jeju Island) were analyzed. We examined 8,796 meals served in February, May, August, and December 2021, focusing on seasonal lunch and snack menus for children aged 3-5. Foods were categorized into 19 groups for lunch and 21 for snacks. The frequency of food groups and dietary patterns were assessed using the Dietary Diversity Score. Analyses were conducted using Excel 2016 and IBM SPSS Statistics version 28. Results: Most lunch menus (89%) included five menu items, with a ratio of grain, meat, and vegetables at 88%. Snack menus typically had one item (57%), with significantly more items in the afternoon compared to the morning (P < 0.001). Regarding snack patterns, 75.2% of morning snacks and 61.1% of afternoon snacks contained only one solid food and drink (P < 0.001). Fruit and milk (22.4%) was the most prevalent pattern in morning snacks, while grain and milk (31%) dominated afternoon snacks (P < 0.001). Only 48% of daycare center menus (all snacks and lunch) included all five food groups (grain, meat, vegetables, fruit, and milk). Notably, only 83% included milk and 57% included fruit. Conclusions: These findings highlight the need to improve food variety and diversity in the Center for Children’s Foodservice Management-managed daycare center menus. Developing more detailed guidelines for menu structure and food composition is crucial to ensure children receive balanced and diverse nutrition.

ObjectiveTo investigate SARS-COV-2 viral clearance and viral load kinetics in the course of infection in children aged 1–6 years in comparison with adults.MethodsProspective cohort study of infected daycare children and staff and their close contacts in households from 11/2020 to 06/2021. Adult participants took upper respiratory tract specimen from themselves and/or their children, for PCR tests on SARS-CoV-2. Data on symptoms and exposure were used to determine the date of probable infection for each participant. We determined (a) viral clearance, and (b) viral load dynamics over time. Samples were taken from day 4–6 to day 16–18 after diagnosis of the index case in the respective daycare group (5 samples per participant).ResultsWe included 40 children (1–6 years) and 67 adults (18–77 years) with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Samples were available at a mean of 4.3 points of time per participant. Among the participants, the 12-day study period fell in different periods within the individual course of infection, ranging from day 5–17 to day 15–26 after assumed infection.Children reached viral clearance at a median of 20 days after assumed infection (95% CI 17–21 days, Kaplan-Meier Analysis), adults at 23 days (95% CI 20–25 days, difference not significant). In both children and adults, viral load decreased over time with trajectories of the mean viral load not being statistically different between groups. Kaplan-Meier calculations show that from day 15 (95% CI 13–15), 50% of all participants had a viral load

Particulate matter (PM) pollution is a crucial environmental issue. Considering its adverse health impacts, especially on children’s immune systems, Korean regulations require annual PM2.5 measurements in daycare centers. Therefore, we developed a low-cost PM2.5 sensor calibration model for measuring the indoor PM concentrations in daycare centers using long short-term memory (LSTM) algorithms. Moreover, we trained the model to predict the PM2.5 based on temperature and humidity, and optimized its hyperparameters. The model achieved a high accuracy and outperformed traditional calibration methods. The optimal lookback period was 76, which led to a high calibration performance with root mean and mean squared errors, a coefficient of determination, and mean absolute errors of 3.57 and 12.745, 0.962, and 2.7, respectively. The LSTM model demonstrated a better calibration performance than those of the linear (r2 = 0.57) and multiple (r2 = 0.75) linear regression models. The developed calibration model provided precise short-term measurement values for the optimal management of indoor PM concentrations. This methodology can be applied to similar environments to obtain new learning and hyper-parameters. Our results will aid in improving the accuracy of low-cost sensors for measuring indoor PM concentrations, thereby providing cost-effective solutions for enhancing children’s health and well-being in daycare centers and other multiuse facilities.

Daycare centers (DCCs) are where infants and toddlers (0–4 years old) spend the most time besides their homes. Given their higher susceptibility to the effects of air pollutants, as compared to older children and adults, indoor air quality (IAQ) is regarded as an essential parameter to monitor in DCCs. Recent advances in IAQ monitoring technologies have enabled the deployment of low-cost air quality monitors (LCMs) and single sensors (LCSs) to continuously monitor various indoor environments, and their performance testing should also be performed in the intended indoor applications. To our knowledge, there is no study evaluating the application of LCMs/LCSs in DCCs scenarios yet.Therefore, this study is aimed to assess the response of five types of LCMs (previously not tested) and five LCSs to typical DCCs emission activities in detecting multiple IAQ parameters, i.e., particulate matter, carbon dioxide, total volatile organic compounds, temperature, and relative humidity. These LCMs/LCSs were compared to outcomes from research-grade instruments (RGIs). All the experiments were performed in a climate chamber, where three kinds of typical activities (background; arts-and-crafts; cleaning; [in a total of 32 events]) were simulated by recruited subjects at two typical indoor climatic conditions (cool and dry [20 ± 1 °C & 40 ± 10%], warm and humid [26 ± 1 °C & 70 ± 5%]).Results showed that tested LCMs had the ability to capture DCCs activities by simultaneously monitoring multiple IAQ parameters, and LCMs/LCSs revealed a strong correlation with RGIs in most events (R2 values from 0.7 to 1), but, for some events, the magnitude of responses varied widely. Sensirion SCD41, an emerging CO2 sensor built on the photoacoustic sensing principle, had a more accurate performance than all tested NDIR-based CO2 sensors/monitors. In general, the study implies that the selection of LCMs/LCSs for a specific application of interest should be based on emission characteristics and space conditions.

Only a few clusters of invasive pneumococcal disease have been described globally in children, and most of these cases occurred before pneumococcal vaccination implementation. Two unusual cases of pneumococcal meningitis, occurring in the same daycare center over a 3-day period, were reported. Both cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were sent to the National reference center for pneumococci. In addition, we decided to perform a pneumococcal carriage study on all children and staff of the daycare center to analyze the pneumococcal serotypes circulating in this DCC and to discuss an antibiotic chemoprophylaxis. CSF culture was positive for pneumococcus, and serotype 25A was identified by latex agglutination. The second case had negative CSF culture, but CSF antigen test and gene amplification results were positive for Streptococcus pneumoniae. Serotype 12F was identified by using molecular biology. The absence of correlation between these strains was confirmed by multi-locus sequence typing. In the carriage study, we included 29 children (median age 1.9 years, interquartile range 1.4–2.5) and 10 adults. Among the children, 24 carried Streptococcus pneumoniae (83%). The main serotypes isolated were 23A for 6 children and 25A for 5 children; serotypes were non-typeable for 3 children. Only 1 of 10 adults tested carried Streptococcus pneumoniae (serotype 12F). Despite this temporo-spatial pattern, the cases were unrelated and not due to carriage of a particular serotype. No specific action has been taken for the other children attending this DCC, and no other case of bacterial meningitis occurred.

BackgroundAmong 1–7 years old children the worldwide prevalence of mental disorders is ~20%. Without treatment, the prognosis of such disorders in children is poor. Early intervention is estimated to result in a positive return. However, traditional screening to detect children at need is particularly challenging due to the concerns by false positives. The aim of the current study was to develop a more acceptable though effective method using the existing annual evaluation meetings between parents and teachers in a more systematic and goal directed way. The method should build on the teacher's and parents' complementary knowledge and perception of the child, and fit into the everyday routines in daycare centers.MethodDuring a period of 6 years, a developmental process aiming for a novel screening method was carried out in cooperation with eight Norwegian daycare centers. After conception of the idea, the framework of the Dialogue Based Early Detection including the first version of the Early Worry Questionnaire (EWQ) was constructed. An iterative process involving parents and teachers completing workshops and subsequent testing facilitated a re-modeling of the method.ResultsIn the resulting Dialogue Based Early Detection a 36-item version of EWQ was completed by both parents and teachers ahead of the annual parent-teacher meeting. During that meeting the participants should try to reach a consensus whether there was a concern, some uncertainty, or no worry for the child, and which appropriate actions should be taken for a possible follow up. Both parents and teachers reported that the EWQ supported them in verbalizing already existing worries for the child. Teachers reported that parents were better prepared and participated more actively in the evaluation meetings. However, some parents complained that there was too much focus on possible worries. During the testing, challenges of language development, conduct, emotional reactions, toileting, attention, and eating were detected among the children.ConclusionThe Dialogue Based Early Detection method was endorsed by both teachers and parents and holds promise as a tool for improving early awareness and identification of developmental and mental health problems of preschool children in daycare centers.

Air pressure differences are a key factor in the behavior of building ventilation and air leakages through the building envelope. Field measurements of the air pressure differences over the building envelope were conducted in 24 Finnish municipal service buildings. The measured buildings were mainly schools and daycare centers, of which half were new buildings and half recently retrofitted. All buildings had mechanical ventilation. The measurements were conducted during 2016–2018. The total number of measurement points was 100, and the duration of individual time series varied. According to the results, the mean air pressure difference was within the range of national recommendations (small underpressure indoors) in 81–89% of measurement points, but some cases experienced either strong underpressure or overpressure conditions. In some cases, the air pressure difference showed a clear stepwise constant behavior, while other cases showed larger temporal variation. The conditions varied between different operating situations and the time of year. The study also supports the current recommendation that air pressure difference measurements should be done as continuous measurements of at least one week duration.

We investigated an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis due to human astrovirus in a daycare center, describing the transmission mechanism, the most affected age groups, conditioning factors and the extent of the outbreak among household contacts of the daycare center attenders. Data were collected from persons exposed at the daycare center and their home contacts. Fecal samples from affected and non-affected daycare center attenders were analyzed for viruses causing acute gastroenteritis by RT-PCR. The percentage of households affected and the attack rates (AR) were calculated. The attack rates were compared using the rate ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals. Information was obtained from 245 people (76 attenders and 169 contacts) of whom 49 were clinical cases. Five HAstV-4, two HAstV-8 and three non-typable HAstV cases were identified (six from clinical cases and four from asymptomatic infected people). The global AR was 20% (41.2% in children aged < 2 years). Data were obtained from 67 households: 20 households of affected attenders and 47 of non-affected attendees. Household contacts of affected attenders had a higher AR (74.3%) than that of non-affected attendees (2.4%). We found asymptomatic infections amongst daycare attendees. The transmission of HAstV during the outbreak was not limited to the daycare center but extended to household contacts of both affected and non-affected attenders.

Background In developing countries, the prevalence of giardia- sis in daycare centers is considerably high. There had been inad- equate report of giardiasis in Indonesia. Objective To know the prevalence of giardiasis in children and the number of children with symptomatic and asymptomatic giar- diasis who attended daycare centers at Rancabali tea plantation, Bandung district. Methods This descriptive study was conducted in daycare cen- ters between August to October 2002. Giardiasis was defined as the occurrence of G. lamblia cyst in stool specimen independent from the presence or absence of symptoms. Four of 12 daycare centers were chosen by cluster random sampling. All children aged 1 to 60 months attending daycare and staying for at least 2 weeks were included in this study. Three consecutive stool specimen pre- served by 10% formalin, concentrated by formalin ether, were ex- amined microscopically to find the G. lamblia cyst. Results Giardia lamblia cysts were found in 27 (29%) of the 92 children attending the daycare centers at Rancabali tea plantation (95%CI 20;38.6%). Of these children, 15 showed symptoms such as diarrhea episodes (8 children), diarrhea (5 children), bloating (5 children), abdominal cramp (5 children), and vomiting (3 children). Three children showed mild to moderate malnutrition. Ten children aged 13 to 36 month-old with G. lamblia-positive stool showed such symptoms. Conclusion The prevalence of G. lamblia infection in children at- tending daycare centers at Rancabali tea plantation was almost similar with other place in developing countries. More than half of patients had symptomatic disease

During the three-month closure of clinics and day centers in Iran due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown, parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) became solely responsible for their care and education. Although centers maintained telephone contact, it quickly became evident that parents needed more detailed advice and guidance. Staff from 30 daycare centers volunteered to take part in a two-month online support and training course for 336 caregivers of children with ASD of different ages. In addition to the provision of visual and written information, synchronous video sessions were used to coach parents on the learning goals devised for the children. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected to understand the acceptability of using telepractice and the outcomes achieved. A low dropout rate and positive feedback from parents indicated that they perceived telepractice sessions to be useful. The factors contributing to parents’ satisfaction were identified. Although the use of telepractice would be a good alternative for caregivers in any future lockdowns, it could also be used in conjunction with daycare center services to encourage greater parental participation, or with families living in areas with no day centers. Further studies are needed to compare telepractice to usual daycare face-to-face interventions, and to document its impact and cost-effectiveness for parents and children.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and etiological profile of enteropathogens in children from a daycare center. Methods: From October 2010 to February 2011 stool samples from 100 children enrolled in a government daycare center in the municipality of São José do Rio Preto, in the state of São Paulo, were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 246 bacteria were isolated in 99% of the fecal samples; 129 were in the diarrheal group and 117 in the non-diarrheal group. Seventy-three strains of Escherichia coli were isolated, 19 of Enterobacter, one of Alcaligenes and one of Proteus. There were 14 cases of mixed colonization with Enterobacter and E. coli. Norovirus and Astrovirus were detected in children with clinical signs suggestive of diarrhea. These viruses were detected exclusively among children residing in urban areas. All fecal samples were negative for the presence of the rotavirus species A and C. The presence of Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba coli, Endolimax nana and hookworm was observed. A significant association was found between food consumption outside home and daycare center and the presence of intestinal parasites. Conclusions: For children of this daycare center, intestinal infection due to pathogens does not seem to have contributed to the occurrence of diarrhea or other intestinal symptoms. The observed differences may be due to the wide diversity of geographical, social and economic characteristics and the climate of Brazil, all of which have been reported as critical factors in the modulation of the frequency of different enteropathogens.

O artigo trata de estudo sobre interações de bebês com pares, que buscou apreender aspectos qualitativos desses processos relacionais, considerando particularidades dos bebês. No estudo, utilizaram-se videogravações e entrevistas, do projeto "Processos de Adaptação de Bebês a Creche", que acompanhou 21 bebês (4-13 meses) em creche. Os dados foram coletados e analisados pela perspectiva da Rede de Significações. Selecionaram-se, então, cinco episódios, a partir de três sujeitos-focais e seus pares. Análise indica ocorrência de interação, em que se destacam o papel do olhar, relações triádicas (mesmo em bebês menores de nove meses), a abreviação de recursos comunicativos e a empatia. Ainda, apesar da ausência de linguagem verbal, verificou-se ocorrência de significação. Algumas implicações teórico-práticas são apontadas.The paper presents a study regarding babies' interactive processes with peers, which aimed to apprehend some of their qualitative aspects, considering babies' peculiarities. An empirical work was conducted with video recording scenes and interviews, regarding the "Babies' Adaptation to a Daycare Center" project, which followed up 21 babies (4-13 months) at a daycare center. Data analysis was based on the Network of Meanings perspective. Five episodes are here presented regarding three focal subjects and their peers. Analysis indicates the occurrence of interactions; among them it can be highlighted the role of the glance, presence of triadic relations (even among babies younger than nine months old), abbreviation of communicative resources and empathy. Moreover, despite verbal language absence at this age, it was verified meaning processes. Some practical-theoretical implications are pointed out as well.

O objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar a freqüência de oocistos de Cryptosporidium spp em amostras fecais de crianças, de 1 a 14 anos, de uma creche pública localizada em uma comunidade carente da cidade do Recife, Pernambuco. A pesquisa foi realizada no período de 28 de junho de 2006 a 3 de abril de 2007, e envolveu 182 crianças. Das amostras analisadas 59 (32,4%) foram positivas quanto à presença de oocistos de Cryptosporidium spp, e a faixa etária mais acometida foi a de 3 a 5 anos de idade (54,2%). A alta freqüência de amostras positivas para Cryptosporidium spp obtidas neste estudo comprovam que creches são ambientes propícios a essa ocorrência devido ao contato direto entre criança-criança, crianças e funcionários. A maior via de infecção por Cryptosporidium spp é a transmissão interpessoal, que é bem ilustrada em creches. A imaturidade, deficiências do sistema imune e hábitos higiênicos inadequados são fatores que também contribuem para esse tipo de infecção.The objective of the present study was to analyze the frequency of oocysts of Cryptosporidium spp in fecal samples from children aged one to fourteen years at a public daycare center located in a needy community in the city of Recife, Pernambuco. The investigation was carried out between June 28, 2006, and April 3, 2007, and involved 182 children. Among the samples analyzed, 59 (32.4%) were positive regarding the presence of oocysts of Cryptosporidium spp, and the age group most affected was between three and five years (54.2%). The high frequency of samples positive for Cryptosporidium spp obtained in this study confirms that daycare centers are an environment that favors such occurrences, because of the direct contact between children or between children and staff. The most important infection route for Cryptosporidium spp is person-to-person transmission, which is well illustrated in daycare centers. Immaturity, deficiencies of the immune system and inadequate hygiene habits are factors that also contribute towards this type of infection.

Epidemiological studies on giardiasis by using molecular techniques such as RAPD (Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA) may give information on factors related to the transmission of Giardia duodenalis. The aim of this work was to assess the epidemiology of G. duodenalis in 101 children attended at a daycare center in Presidente Bernardes, SP, Brazil. After parasitological examinations in feces samples, 15 children presented cysts of G. duodenalis. Their respective parents, brothers and pets, besides the daycare center workers, also had their feces submitted to parasitological analysis. Seven mothers and nine brothers also presented G. duodenalis cysts, while fathers, daycare workers and pets (dogs) did not presented the parasite. Besides the 15 cases with G. duodenalis, other 23 children presented other enteroparasites (Entamoeba coli, Endolimax nana, Enterobius vermicularis, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura). Samples of G. duodenalis cysts from children and their relatives were submitted to molecular typing by RAPD after genomic DNA extraction and amplification of a fragment of the 18S rDNA region by PCR. After examining 31 isolates of G. duodenalis (children and their respective mothers and brothers), it was concluded that the parasite transmission occurred in children, probably during daily cohabitation at the daycare center, but not at home among their relatives or pets.Estudos epidemiológicos sobre giardíase por técnicas moleculares como a RAPD (Amplificação aleatória do DNA polimórfico) podem contribuir para o entendimento de fatores relacionados à transmissão de Giardia duodenalis. O objetivo desse trabalho foi estudar a epidemiologia de G. duodenalis em 101 crianças atendidas em uma creche em Presidente Bernardes, SP, Brasil. Após exames parasitológicos em amostras de fezes, 15 crianças apresentaram cistos de G. duodenalis. Seus respectivos pais, irmãos e animais domésticos, além dos funcionários da creche, foram submetidos a exames parasitológicos de fezes. Destes, sete mães e nove irmãos apresentaram G. duodenalis, enquanto os pais, funcionários da creche e animais de estimação (cães) não apresentaram o parasita. Além dos 15 casos com G. duodenalis, outras 23 crianças apresentaram outros enteroparasitas (Entamoeba coli, Endolimax nana, Enterobius vermicularis, Ascaris lumbricoides e Trichuris trichiura). As amostras contendo cistos de G. duodenalis das crianças e de seus parentes foram submetidas à análise molecular por RAPD após extração do DNA genômico e amplificação de um fragmento de uma região do rDNA 18S por PCR. Entre os 31 isolados de G. duodenalis (crianças e suas respectivas mães e irmãos), concluiu-se que a transmissão dos parasitas ocorreu entre as crianças, provavelmente durante seu convívio na creche, mas não foi decorrente do convívio familiar ou animais de estimação.

The social welfare reform recognizes the further development and expansion of daycare center services as an important precondition for deinstitutionalization as one of the key objectives of the reform. Decreasing the number of children and adults in residential institutions, their return to their natural families and preventing institutionalization depend primarily on the support provided at local level to the family for taking care of their family members. Today in Serbia there are 49 daycare centers with 1400 children and persons with disability as beneficiaries. Between 2000 and 2007, thirty seven new daycare centers were established, the total number of beneficiaries more than tripled and the NGO sector became equal with the government sector in service provision. Yet, daycare center services are still not sufficiently developed. In 123 municipalities there are no daycare center services at all and overall these services are significantly less accessible than residential services. Daycare center services consist of both well established and sustainable daycare with significant capacity and also of small, project-based daycare centers that provide services for a few hours and have an uncertain future. The second group consists mostly of daycare centers organized by the NGO sector. The monthly costs of daycare center services per beneficiary in 2007 amounted to 13.750 diners on average. According to the survey findings, for example, the annual costs for running a daycare center service for 20 beneficiaries are between 2 and 6 million dinars depending on the complexity of the provided services and programs. The costs of residential placement are on average higher than the costs in daycare centers. Further development of daycare center services in Serbia requires additional and focused efforts at central level in terms of formulating special financial incentives for underdeveloped municipalities, developing professional capacity at local level, educating local governments, conceptualizing and establishing regulatory mechanisms, exchanging good practice examples, etc. Still, placing non-residential services at the heart of the social welfare system can be expected only after undertaking more profound legislative changes. .

OBJETIVOS: comparar a adequação aparente da ingestão dos nutrientes utilizando os valores de referência "Consumo Dietético de Referência" (Dietary Reference Intake-DRIs) de 35 crianças de uma creche filantrópica, em dois momentos, no ato da matrícula (momento 1) e após seis meses de freqüência na creche (momento 2). MÉTODOS: A avaliação sócio-demográfica foi realizada através de questionário abordando renda, escolaridade, condições de moradia e saneamento básico. Para avaliação do consumo alimentar, no ato da matrícula, a história dietética foi determinada em entrevista com o responsável, com o propósito de obter informações sobre consumo habitual da criança na sua residência. Após o período de seis meses foi utilizado o método de pesagem direta de alimentos (na creche) complementando com o consumo alimentar da criança na residência. A análise dos nutrientes como proteínas, ferro, cálcio e vitamina C, além das fibras alimentares, foi realizada através um programa computacional. Para comparar a adequação dos nutrientes nos dois momentos do estudo utilizou-se o teste t de Student para dados pareados (p < 0,05). RESULTADOS: observou-se que ocorreu uma melhora significativa no consumo médio de nutrientes e de fibras alimentares das crianças, após seis meses de frequência na creche. Chama atenção que nenhuma criança atingiu o nível de adequação de fibras alimentares nos dois momentos do estudo, apesar da diferença significativa. CONCLUSÕES: os resultados sugerem que as creches podem ter um importante papel na melhora do estado nutricional de crianças de estratos sociais menos favorecidos.OBJECTIVES: to compare nutrients intake apparent adequacy through reference values of Dietary Reference Intake (DRIs) of 35 children of a charity daycare center in two instances, when they enrolled (instance 1) and six months after (instance 2). METHODS: socio-demographic assessment was performed through a questionnaire collecting information pertaining to income, school level, living conditions and basic sanitation. To assess food consumption at enrollment, dietary history was informed through an interview with the parent, family member or guardian on the usual intake of the child at home. Following a six month period the weighed food record method (in the daycare center) was performed complemented by the food intake of the child at home. Nutrient analysis such as proteins, iron, calcium and vitamin C in addition to food fibers was performed by specific software. To compare nutrients' adequacy in the two instances of the study the paired Student test (t) (p < 0.05) was used. RESULTS: a significant improvement in the median intake for all nutrients and fiber six moths after child's attendance to the daycare center was determined. No child reached the level of fiber apparent adequacy of the ingestion at the two moments of the study, despite the significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: results suggest that daycare centers can have an important role in the improvement of lower income children nutritional status.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence and incidence of intestinal parasites in children and staff members of 5 municipal daycare centers in Botucatu/SP. Two cross-sectional studies were carried out in 2002 (N=379) and 2003 (N=397) and a longitudinal observational experiment in which the children from 2002 and 2003 were evaluated for a year. Questionnaires were given to staff members and parents of the children, where the following variables were recorded: socioeconomic status, sanitary habits, home, age, gender and presence of domestic animals. Coproparasitologic tests were carried out in child daycare centers. The enteroparasite prevalence was 76.74% in 2002 and 34% in 2003. The variables associated with presence of enteroparasites in the investigation carried out in 2002 were: location of daycare centers (OR=0.27 CI=0.15-0.47); family salary (OR=4.38 CI=1.91-10.04); gender (OR=0.52 CI=0.32-0.85); child's age group (OR=2.08 CI=1.06-4.08), and presence of pets at home (OR=1.85 CI=1.10-3.11); in 2003, the variables were: daycare centers located in peripheral region (OR=0.49 CI=0.31-0.78), family salary (OR=3.69 CI=2.19-6.24); mother's education (OR=6.19 CI=1.81-21.21); gender (OR=0.58 CI=0.36-0.93), and presence of pets (OR=1.68 CI=1.01-2.79). The cohort had 253 children with an incidence of 23.22%. Data from this study highlighted situations of risk in specific populations (daycare centers), which could be useful for other childcare institutions.Estimou-se a prevalência e a incidência de parasitas intestinais em crianças e funcionários de 5 creches municipais em Botucatu/SP. Foram realizados dois estudos seccionais em 2002 (N=379) e 2003 (N=397) e um estudo longitudinal observacional, onde as crianças de 2002 e 2003 foram seguidas por um ano. Foram aplicados questionários nos funcionários e nos pais das crianças, onde foram coletadas as seguintes variáveis: nível sócio-econômico, hábitos sanitários, moradia, idade, sexo e presença de animais domésticos. Foram realizados exames coproparasitológicos nas crianças das creches. A prevalência de enteroparasitas em 2002 foi de 76,74% e 34% em 2003. As variáveis associadas à presença de enteroparasitas no ano de 2002 foram: localização das creches (OR=0,27 IC=0,15-0,47), renda familiar (OR=4,38 IC=1,91-10,04), sexo (OR=0,52 IC=0,32-0,85), faixa etária (OR=2,08 IC=1,06-4,08) e presença de animais domésticos na casa (OR=1,85 IC=1,10-3,11); em 2003, as variáveis foram: creche localizada em bairro periférico (OR=0,49 IC=0,31-0,78), renda familiar (OR=3,69 IC=2,19-6,24), nível educacional da mãe (OR=6,19 IC=1,81-21,21), sexo (OR=0,36 IC=0,36-0,93) e presença de animais domésticos (OR=1,68 IC=1,01-2,79). A coorte foi integrada por 253 crianças apresentando incidência de 23,22%. Os dados deste estudo evidenciam situações de risco em populações específicas (creches) e poderiam ser utilizados por Instituições que promovem o cuidado com as crianças.

O objetivo desta investigação foi verificar o julgamento de educadoras de creche sobre os fatores que causam e/ou influenciam o temperamento e o desempenho de bebês. Vinte e uma educadoras foram entrevistadas a respeito de cada um dos 90 bebês de 4 a 24 meses sob seus cuidados, seguindo um roteiro semi-estruturado. Os resultados mostram que (a) as crenças das educadoras são predominantemente ambientalistas, isto é, que as educadoras atribuem influência significativa do ambiente no temperamento e desempenho dos bebês, e (b) que elas subestimam o seu papel de promotoras do desenvolvimento das crianças. A necessidade de se conhecer as crenças das educadoras para a eleboração de programas de treinamento eficazes é enfatizada.

Embora haja consenso entre os pesquisadores sobre a complexidade do período de adaptação à creche, existem ainda inconsistências sobre o momento mais adequado para se colocar o bebê na creche, quanto ao conceito de adaptação e como avaliar este período. Este estudo examinou como educadoras de creches públicas e particulares caracterizavam a adaptação dos bebês de 4-5 meses e 8-9 meses. Quarenta e uma educadoras responderam a um questionário aberto que examinava como era feito o processo de adaptação, sua duração, os casos de bebês que apresentavam retrocesso após estarem adaptados e os fatores que interferiam na adaptação. Análise de conteúdo revelou algumas diferenças entre as concepções de adaptação dos bebês das duas faixas etárias. Segundo as educadoras a adaptação dos bebês de 8-9 meses requer maior preparação e cuidado, sendo em alguns aspectos uma etapa mais crítica do que a do outro grupo. Houve também diferenças entre os indicadores mencionados para as duas faixas etárias.