Simple interventions to prevent respiratory and gastrointestinal infection in children in day care and school settings - a systematic review and economic evaluation
Wilson J, Wang D, Meads C
Record ID 32011000105
English
Authors' objectives:
To investigate by systematic review whether simple hygiene interventions introduced in primary schools or child day care centres reduce respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases in children aged between 2 and 11. Also to assess the cost effectiveness of such interventions.
Authors' recommendations:
The study results suggest that hand hygiene interventions (i.e. handwashing, hand sanitizers and education) can reduce infections and absenteeism substantially. However, these findings are undermined by methodological problems within the studies, which seriously reduce validity of the results. Clustering effects must be considered when quality is assessed. When clustering effects are taken into account, results reduce the confidence that the observed results could not have occurred by chance. This inability to demonstrate clear benefit may be caused more by the difficulty in conducting good quality research in this area, rather than the ineffectiveness of hand hygiene per se. A Birmingham model simulation only was developed which suggested that hand sanitizer may be more cost effective than scheduled hand washing. However, due to lack of costs and the lack of good quality studies as mentioned above, these results are tentative at best. Further primary research with a UK perspective is needed. Future research should include better quality studies with more appropriate analysis of the results.
Details
Project Status:
Completed
Year Published:
2006
URL for published report:
http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/Documents/college-mds/haps/projects/WMHTAC/REPreports/2006/Handwashing.pdf
English language abstract:
An English language summary is available
Publication Type:
Not Assigned
Country:
England
MeSH Terms
- Child
- Child Care
- Child Day Care Centers
- Child, Preschool
- Infant
- Infections
- Respiratory Tract Infections
Contact
Organisation Name:
West Midlands Health Technology Assessment Collaboration
Contact Address:
Elaena Donald-Lopez, West Midlands Health Technology Assessment Collaboration, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT Tel: +44 121 414 7450; Fax: +44 121 414 7878
Contact Name:
louise.a.taylor@bham.ac.uk
Contact Email:
louise.a.taylor@bham.ac.uk
Copyright:
<p>West Midlands Health Technology Assessment Collaboration (WMHTAC)</p>
This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA or other HTA producer. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database.