Use and Abuse of Cotton Buds

Differences in Hygiene Habits among Children Aged 8 to 11 Years by Type of Schooling

Personal hygiene is one of the basic activities in the care of our body. Parents are responsible for their children’s hygiene to prevent infections and keep them healthy. However, children must acquire hygiene habits correctly and independently. This study examines the sociodemographic profile, hygiene habits and knowledge, and level of autonomy of children who are starting to perform their personal care autonomously to identify the areas in which their habits could be improved. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted concerning 125 children aged 8–11 years attending schools in northern Extremadura, Spain. The children were surveyed with the HICORIN^® questionnaire and the resulting data were statistically processed with SPSS 22.0 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). The majority of participating children required help to perform personal hygiene activities. Children in preferential schooling (PS) require less help than children in mainstream schooling (MS) but have less knowledge about personal hygiene. Different habits were observed in the frequency and time of day for performing personal hygiene between groups (p-values < 0.005). In general, more than 80% of children aged 8 to 11 years are not autonomous in some aspect of their personal hygiene, and they are not all familiar with personal hygiene. Because of this, it is necessary to conduct theory and practical workshops with children who must acquire correct personal hygiene habits autonomously to prevent infection and promote health.

Pediatric Cotton-Tip Applicator-Related Ear Injury Treated in United States Emergency Departments, 1990-2010

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the characteristics of children with cotton-tip applicator (CTA)-related ear injuries.

STUDY DESIGN

Data on CTA-related ear injuries among children presenting to US emergency departments (EDs) from 1990 through 2010 were obtained from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.

RESULTS

Between 1990 and 2010, an estimated 263 338 children aged <18 years were treated for CTA-related ear injuries in US hospital EDs. There was a nonsignificant increase in the annual number of injuries from 1990 through 2001 (78.2%) and a significant decrease from 2001 through 2010 (26.0%). Younger children sustained the highest rate of injury (32.2 per 100 000 for age 0-3 years). Ear cleaning was the most frequently documented circumstance at the time of injury (73.2%), and patients themselves were most commonly handling the CTA (76.9%). Foreign body sensation (39.2%) and bleeding (34.8%) were commonly documented reasons for visiting the ED. The presence of a foreign body (29.7%) and tympanic membrane perforation (25.3%) were common diagnoses.

CONCLUSION

Most CTA-related injuries occurred with children themselves handling CTAs while cleaning their ears. Foreign body and tympanic membrane perforation were the most common associated diagnoses. Despite warnings against the use of CTAs in the ear canal and use of CTAs by children, these injuries continued to occur. Additional injury prevention strategies through further parent/caregiver and child education are warranted.