Risk factors for respiratory tract infections in children aged 2-5 years

Objective - To study risk factors for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) i n children aged 2-5 years. Design - A questionnaire was used to chart the number of visits to doctors and the number of antibiotics courses because of RTIs during a 1-year perio d. The risk factors studied were age, sex, birth weight, breastfeeding, ato py, siblings, smoking and childcare. Setting - The catchment area of Oxie health centre in southern Sweden. Subj ects - 190 pre-school children. Main outcome measures - Number of visits to doctors and number of antibioti cs courses. Results - The risk of having to consult a doctor, as well as the risk of re ceiving treatment with antibiotics, because of RTIs was greater among child ren at daycare centres than among children who were mostly at home (adjuste d OR 2.78 (95% CI 1.34-5.78) and 2.73 (1.38-5.43), respectively). Conclusion - Attending a daycare centre is the most important risk factor f or RTIs in children aged 2-5 years.