Prevalence of Infectious Diseases in Children at Preschool Education Institutions and Stakeholder Opinions

Abstract

Preschool education institutions, where children have close contact and social interactions, can serve as potential environments for the transmission of infectious diseases. This issue poses a significant health concern, impacting both individual and public well-being. Thus, the present research set out to determine the prevalence of infectious diseases in preschool children and the views of parents and teachers on the prevention of infectious diseases. The study employed a mixed-method approach and involved 397 parents and 46 preschool teachers. The study was survey-based via in-person interviews. The results revealed that after they started school (almost in 5 months), children with a mean age of 4.7 ± 0.5 years experienced illness approximately 3.5 ± 2.0 times, of whom 91.5% used antibiotics. The prevalence of infectious diseases was found to be associated with the child’s being born at term, maternal education level, and the public/private status of preschool institutions. The presence of a sick child in the classroom elicits negative emotions from both teachers and parents. They recommend that studies on education, safety, hygiene, school health, health screenings, regulation of the learning environment, legal regulations, and school exclusion policies be carried out to prevent infectious diseases. When children with infectious diseases come to school, nearly half of the teachers admit them to the classroom due to various reasons and pressures. Parents request teachers to monitor medication, control sweating, and use a nebulizer for their sick children. Some of the teachers meet these requests, but they claim that the educational process is negatively affected. At preschool education institutions, the risk factors of infectious diseases have a complex structure and can be influenced by variables related to teachers, children, parents and the institution itself. Infectious diseases not only pose a threat to health but also impact teachers’ and parents’ emotions, teacher–child relationships, and the overall atmosphere within schools and classrooms.