Presentation of a participatory approach to develop preventive measures to reduce COVID-19 transmission in child care

Abstract

Background It can be suspected that work in child care facilities is associated with an elevated exposure risk towards SARS-CoV-2 infections. It is still unclear under which conditions employees in those facilities can safely pursue their work. Preventive workplace-related measures to reduce transmission dynamics in this work environment need to be developed. These measures need to build on a solid scientific foundation and be ready for practical use at the same time. Therefore, the aim of the study is to present a participatory approach to identify, minimize, and eliminate workplace-specific COVID-19 transmission within child care. The approach presented combines quantitative as well as qualitative elements and includes a screening of critical workplace conditions and the development of preventive measures to foster a safe workplace design. Methods First, 428 employees of different child care facilities in a large German city reported their subjective risk of infection, fear of infection, and support received by the employer. Second, the participants commented in detail about high risk conditions during work. Third, employees provided suggestions for preventive measures. We conducted a qualitative analysis of free text answers to evaluate which aspects are perceived as critical from an employee perspective. Results Participants provided valuable and practicable ideas on how to design and improve preventive measures to reduce COVID-19 transmission in child care dealing with structural conditions, the interaction with the parents, the implementation of preventive measures and recommendations for policy makers. Conclusions These new insights help to organize pandemic risk management in order to align theoretical based measures with the practical realization. We encourage researchers to adapt the approach presented to other work areas in order to foster participation of employees in work design to reduce COVID-19 transmission.

The Impact of the Implementation of Preventive Measures Due to COVID-19 on Work Design and Early Childhood Professionals’ Well-Being—A Qualitative Study

“…Besides demand-related well-being impairments, other COVID-19-related well-being impacts were identified. Not surprisingly, given that respiratory infections are common in child care [106], our participants perceived a risk and consequently described a fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection which was also reported in other studies [21,107]. This further inflicts a dilemma of ensuring their own self-care vs. providing adequate care for others which causes moral distress and has been described in the health sector [108,109].…”

“…Generally, workers' voices and their priorities for particular OHS and IPC measures and workplace conditions during a pandemic are rarely considered. We encourage fostering a participatory approach when developing measures and guidelines at a policy as well as science-level [107]. Experts from the field, who vary particularly in their professional experience, but also in their socio-demographic characteristics, can co-develop and co-design preventive measures (e.g., Citizen Science approach).…”

Der Zusammenhang von gesundheitskritischen Arbeitsbelastungen und somatischen Symptomen bei frühpädagogischen Fachkräften in der Kindertagesbetreuung während der COVID-19-Pandemie

“…B. durch überbordende Bürokratie), schwache Wertschätzung durch Politik und Gesellschaft sowie körperliche Belastungen, verstärkt durch schlechte Ergonomie [1,2]. Erste Studien während der COVID-19-Pandemie betonen diese Belastungsfaktoren wie ein erhöhtes Arbeitspensum oder mangelnde gesellschaftliche Anerkennung [3] und identifizieren zusätzliche Belastungsquellen wie fehlende persönliche Schutzausrüstung oder unzureichende Testkapazitäten [4].…”

“…Seither bestand die Herausforderung darin, die kindlichen Bedürfnisse mit der Implementierung von COVID-19 Arbeitsschutzmaßnahmen in Einklang zu bringen, was die Anforderungen an frühpädagogische Fachkräfte noch weiter verschärfte [3]. Allerdings blieb der Wunsch nach Anerkennung des veränderten Arbeitsaufwandes während der Pandemie national als auch international unerfüllt [4,9]. Neben begrenzten Möglichkeiten für präventive Schutzmaßnahmen durch die Interaktion mit jungen Kindern (z.…”

“…B. fehlende physische Distanz) führten zudem strukturelle Maßnahmen (z. B. Bereitstellung von Mund-Nase-Schutz, PCR-Test-Möglichkeiten, transparente Informationsweitergabe) zu einem als inadäquat wahrgenommenen Arbeitsschutz [4]. Zudem empfanden frühpädagogische Fachkräfte die gesellschaftliche Wertschätzung im Vergleich zu anderen Berufsgruppen (z.…”