Comparison of disinfection quality in nurseries of Nanjing during 2019 - 2021

Objective To analyze the disinfection quality and influencing factors of nurseries in Nanjing during 2019-2021 so as to provide a scientific basis for optimizing preventive disinfection strategies and measures in nurseries. Methods Environmental samples from 389 nurseries in Nanjing from January 2019 to December 2021 were tested and the change of disinfection quality qualification rate was compared. Results The overall disinfection qualification rate of nurseries of year 2019-2021 were 96.32% 95.85% and 94.60% respectively showing a downward trend χ2trend = 8.67 P<0.05 . Specifically disinfection qualification rate of object surfaces staff hands and tableware showed a downward trend while the disinfection qualification rate of dynamic air showed an upward trend and the differences were statistically significant χ2trend = 23.17 12.32 5.37 21.48 P<0.05 . The total qualification rate of disinfection in Jiangning and Liuhe districts increased during 2019-2021 χ2trend = 21.46 24.05 P<0.05 . Conclusion Disinfection quality of nurseries in Nanjing has declined by year during 2019-2021 especially the object surfaces and staff hands. It is urgent to optimize and refine the strategies and measures for preventive disinfection in nurseries strengthen the training of personnel on disinfection knowledge and ensure the quality of disinfection in nurseries. © 2023 Chinese Journal of General Surgery. All rights reserved.

Parents' and Childcare Workers' Perspectives Toward SARS-CoV-2 Test and Surveillance Protocols in Pre-school Children Day Care Centers: A Qualitative Study Within the German Wü-KiTa-CoV Project.

Background: Feasibility of surveillance through continuous SARS-CoV-2 testing in pre-school children and childcare workers (CCWs) to prevent closure of day care centers (DCCs) was proven in the Wü-KiTa-CoV study. The purpose of this study was to describe the factors that facilitate or hinder the implementation of continuous SARS-CoV-2 testing from the perspective of parents and CCWs involved in the study. Methods: A total of 148 semi-structured telephone interviews, repeated before and after the implementation of the surveillance protocols, were conducted with parents and CCWs belonging to the DCCs involved in Wü-KiTa-CoV and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Five main topical categories that influences implementation of surveillance protocols for SARS-CoV-2 in DCCs emerged: Generating valuable knowledge, Impact on daily life, Communication and information, Children's wellbeing and the Sense of security. Smooth integration in daily routines, quickly delivered test results, and efficient communication and information between the study team and the participants were identified as factors that had a positive impact on implementation. To ensure children's wellbeing, the introduction of non-invasive testing procedures such as saliva testing, parental involvement to motivate, and prepare children for the procedure, the creation of a child-friendly environment for testing, and use of child-friendly explanations were considered critical. The surveillance was found to increase the sense of security during the pandemic. Conversely, reliability of tests in the surveillance protocols, low participation rates, non-transparent communication, the need to travel to testing sites, fear of quarantine in case of positive test results, concerns about higher workloads, the fear of unpleasant feelings for children, their young age, and changing test teams were considered as hindering factors. Conclusion: This qualitative study of parents of children in day care and DCC staff under surveillance through continuous testing for SARS-CoV-2 in nine German DCCs identified several factors that facilitate or hinder its implementation. These should be considered when planning screening interventions to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 or other infectious diseases in pre-school children DCCs.

Healthy Food Environments in Early Learning Services: An Analysis of Manager Survey Responses, Menus and Policies in Regional New Zealand Early Childhood Education and Care Centres.

Healthy food environments in early childhood play an important role in establishing health-promoting nutritional behaviours for later life. We surveyed Early Learning Services (ELS) in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand and describe common barriers and facilitators to providing a healthy food environment, through descriptive survey analysis and thematic analysis of open-ended questions. We used a policy analysis tool to assess the strength and comprehensiveness of the individual centre's nutrition policies and we report on the healthiness of menus provided daily in the centres. Sixty-two centres participated and 96.7% had policies on nutrition compared to 86.7% with policies on drinks. Of the 14 full policies provided for analysis, identified strengths were providing timelines for review and encouraging role modelling by teachers. The main weaknesses were communication with parents and staff, lack of nutrition training for staff and absence of policies for special occasion and fundraising food. With regard to practices in the ELS, food for celebrations was more likely to be healthy when provided by the centre rather than brought from home. Food used in fundraising was more likely to be unhealthy than healthy, though <20% of centres reported using food in fundraising. Only 40% of menus analysed met the national guidelines by not including any 'red' (unhealthy) items. Centre Managers considered the biggest barriers to improving food environments to be a lack of parental support and concerns about food-related choking. These results highlight the need for future focus in three areas: policies for water and milk-only, celebration and fundraising food; increased nutrition-focused professional learning and development for teachers; and communication between the centre and parents, as a crucial pathway to improved nutrition for children attending NZ early childhood education and care centres.

Norovirus outbreaks in German child day care centers - interim results of the study NoroPrevent and comparison of infection control measures pre- And during SARS-CoV-2-pandemic

Background: In Germany, no information on the quality of outbreak management of norovirus infections in child day care centers existed so far. In particular, the identification of an index case of the outbreak can facilitate the initiation of preventive measures. Responsible public health authorities can support the outbreak management of day care centers, e.g. by means of a standardized recording of outbreak details. The project NoroPrevent initiated by the German Association for the Control of Viral Diseases (DVV) has two aims: To develop a checklist for health authorities, that can be delivered to day care centers for identifying infection prevention potentials and also to collect data about outbreak details. First results are presented here. Methods: Standardized documentation forms developed by us were completed April 2017 - December 2019 with the support of health authorities. To estimate the prevalence development of gastroenteritis pathogens in 0 - 4 year olds, data from the Robert Koch-Institute were used. The study was stopped at the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in March 2020. Results: Preliminary results from 16 day care centers with 26 groups were evaluated. An index case was identified in only three day care center outbreaks. Hand and surface disinfectants (also non-virucidal) were provided in 22 groups. Pathogen diagnostics were performed in 16 day care centers. Spatial separation of symptomatic children whose infection was detected during angecare and who initially had to stay there took place in three of eight outbreaks. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, there was a virtual standstill of gastroenteritis infections in the age group under preventive measures. Conclusion: The recording and evaluation of infection-limiting outbreak management of gastroenteritis infections, especially by noroviruses, at the facility level start immediately after suspicion and in a standardized manner. In future, lessons should be learned from the successes in infection prevention in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and detailed effects should be verified in a prospective case study. © 2021 mhp-Verlag GmbH. All rights reserved.

Limited Propagation of SARS-CoV-2 among Children in a Childcare Center, Canada, 2021.

An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 with no definitive source and potential exposure to variants of concern was declared at a childcare center in Ontario, Canada, in March 2021. We developed a robust outbreak management approach to detect, contain, and interrupt this outbreak and limit propagation among children.

Association of the Quality Rating and Improvement System, Texas Rising Star, on Physical Activity and Screen Time Policies and Practices in Texas Child Care Centers.

PURPOSE: Quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) are systems approaches to assist states in providing high quality early childhood education. Texas Rising Star (TRS), a voluntary QRIS, exceeds state licensing standards and meets some obesity prevention guidelines. This study examines differences in physical activity, screen time, and outdoor policies and practices by QRIS certification. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Online. SAMPLE: After exclusion criteria, respondents were 431 Texas childcare centers. MEASURES: 2016 survey of policies and Go NAPSACC best practices. ANALYSIS: Chi-square and t-tests indicated differences in 1) practices and 2) policies by QRIS status. RESULTS: TRS-certified centers reported more policies for physical activity (M = 4.57 ± 3.07 vs. 3.61 ± 2.95, p = 0.009) and screen time (M = 1.91 ± 1.84 vs. 1.28 ± 1.56, p < 0.001) than non-certified centers. TRS-certified centers reported significantly higher frequencies for 7 of 14 physical activity practices, however no significant differences for screen time practices were found. Additionally, TRS-certified centers reported more outdoor practices, including more classrooms/storage (p < 0.001) and vegetable gardens (p = 0.025). CONCLUSION: TRS-certified centers reported more physical activity policies and practices, more screen time policies, and more outdoor practices. TRS certification was not associated with screen time practices. QRIS can be a practical way to insert obesity prevention in early care and education. Using items from a widely used survey enables comparisons, however future research is needed in larger-scale studies. Some COVID-19 implications are discussed.

Technical requirements for prevention and control in kindergartens during COVID-19 outbreak / 中国学校卫生

Abstract@#Kindergartens are the key places for the prevention and control of COVID-19. This guidance puts forward the technical requirements for prevention and control of kindergartens from three aspects，which include organization guarantee and technical requirements, place and personnel requirements before opening; personnel management and control, cleaning and disinfection of the object surface of key areas, ventilation, food and drinking water sanitation, personal items disinfection, garbage cleaning after opening, and emergency disposal of suspected infection symptoms.