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Healthcare for Children at Day Care Centers in Korea

Monday, 7 July 2008: 10:30 AM
Hee Soon Kim, PhD, RN , Family and child health care, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea

Learning Objective 1: understand health status and health care of children in Day care centers of Korea

Learning Objective 2: identify health care needs of children in Day care centers

This study employed a mail survey design to investigate health status and health care needs of children in day care centers. The parents of children and teachers were selected using an address list registed to the Women's Policy of health and Welfare as day care centers. Out of 25,942 children from 16 provinces of Korea, 1,296 day care centers(5%) were selected for the study using stratified sampling method: 75 of public day care centes, 634 private day care centers, 578 home style day care centers. Total 431 parents and 360 teachers of day care centers participated in this study.

The results of this study are as follows.

1) Helath status of children in day care centers:

-The result indicated that children with less weight which fells below 5%tile on the curve of BMI using children's heights and weights were 7.7%, and children with overweight(>95%tile) were 6.7%.

-A follow up rate of basic vaccination which is nationally recommended was over 95%. However, the follow up rate of vaccination which is vaccinated in time were from 9.5% to 78.1% according to vaccination types.

-The most commom health problem experienced by children since birth, was infection disease(39.9%), followed by developmental disability(16.2%).

-46.4% reported those accidents: 11.4% were from falling down, 10.2% was related to sports activities, 9.0% were from burn, 2.3% were car accidents, and 1.6% were from water play.

-68% of children older than 2 years took 1-2 times of fruits and vegitables every day and 70.3% of children took high calcium foods more than 3 times a day.

2) Health managements reported by teachers of day care centers:

-The most commonly performed health education was about safety, then followed by sexual education, hygiene education, nutrition, disease prevention, and smoking.

-Dental care(78.9%) were the most commonly in the children, urine(77.5%), blood(73.9%), eye(61.9%), hearing(52.8%), and developmental evaluation (46.1%) were followed.

-When a mild health problem occured, child were sent to home without any treatment(36.1%)and emergency medication were given by teachers(22.8%).

-According to daycare centers's types and geographic charateristics, health status and health needs were different.

Based on this study, health care protoccol and manuals for children at day care centers recommended and health program through network with nurses in community health centers was needed.

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