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DC Field | Value | Language |
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dc.contributor.author | Gauci, Charmaine | - |
dc.contributor.author | Borg, Doreen | - |
dc.date.accessioned | 2022-03-14T17:05:41Z | - |
dc.date.available | 2022-03-14T17:05:41Z | - |
dc.date.issued | 2007 | - |
dc.identifier.citation | Gauci, C., & Borg, D. (2007). Are children attending child play areas at risk of infectious diseases? What can be done?. The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, 127(1), 22-28. | en_GB |
dc.identifier.uri | https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/91360 | - |
dc.description.abstract | Aims: Child play areas can pose a risk to children of infectious diseases. The prolonged presence of micro-organisms in the environment has already been established. In order to quantify this risk, specific studies are required when carrying out a risk assessment. Methods: In order to assess the microbiological hazard in play areas in Malta, a study was performed during 2005, which consisted of an examination of the hygienic practices carried out in play areas by means of face-to-face interviews; inspections of the premises; environmental sampling and testing, and a study on the awareness and attitudes of parents to risk factors (face-to-face interviews). Follow up studies were performed after recommendations on risk management were provided. Results: Overall, the hygienic practices in play areas were satisfactory. Of the premises 66% were licensed, 55% of the food handlers were registered, appropriate cooking and cooling facilities were available for most of the premises, temperature control records were available at 80% of premises, 60% were using disinfectant for cleaning play area surfaces and monitoring of refrigerated vehicles was carried out by 60%. There was an overall improvement after recommendations were given. At the first inspection, 67% of the premises were categorized as being fair and 33% as being good. On repeat inspection, after recommendations were made, the grading of the premises were: excellent 7%, satisfactory 33%, good 53% and fair 7%. The results of the environmental swabs taken had low counts of indicator organisms indicating a good overall hygienic condition. Parents stated that 58% of the areas were in good hygienic condition but lacked adequate hand-washing facilities for children. All parents agreed with the importance of hand hygiene and that infectious diseases can be transmitted via contaminated objects and from one person to another. Conclusion: An effective control strategy needs to be implemented involving all stakeholders to ensure that effective hygienic practices in play areas are available to protect children from infectious diseases. | en_GB |
dc.language.iso | en | en_GB |
dc.publisher | Sage Publications Ltd. | en_GB |
dc.rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess | en_GB |
dc.subject | Play environments -- Safety measures | en_GB |
dc.subject | Communicable diseases in children -- Prevention | en_GB |
dc.subject | Infection in children | en_GB |
dc.subject | Risk assessment | en_GB |
dc.title | Are children attending child play areas at risk of infectious diseases? What can be done? | en_GB |
dc.type | article | en_GB |
dc.rights.holder | The copyright of this work belongs to the author(s)/publisher. The rights of this work are as defined by the appropriate Copyright Legislation or as modified by any successive legislation. Users may access this work and can make use of the information contained in accordance with the Copyright Legislation provided that the author must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the prior permission of the copyright holder. | en_GB |
dc.description.reviewed | peer-reviewed | en_GB |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1177/1466424007073203 | - |
dc.publication.title | The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health | en_GB |
Appears in Collections: | Scholarly Works - FacM&SPH |
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