Wood, R. et al. (2021) Sharing a household with children and risk of COVID-19: a study of over 300 000 adults living in healthcare worker households in Scotland. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 106(12), pp. 1212-1217. (doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2021-321604) (PMID:33737319) (PMCID:PMC7985971)
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Abstract
Objective: Children are relatively protected from COVID-19, due to a range of potential mechanisms. We investigated if contact with children also affords adults a degree of protection from COVID-19. Design: Cohort study based on linked administrative data. Setting: Scotland. Study population: All National Health Service Scotland healthcare workers and their household contacts as of March 2020. Main exposure: Number of young children (0–11 years) living in the participant’s household. Main outcomes: COVID-19 requiring hospitalisation, and any COVID-19 (any positive test for SARS-CoV-2) in adults aged ≥18 years between 1 March and 12 October 2020. Results: 241 266, 41 198, 23 783 and 3850 adults shared a household with 0, 1, 2 and 3 or more young children, respectively. Over the study period, the risk of COVID-19 requiring hospitalisation was reduced progressively with increasing numbers of household children—fully adjusted HR (aHR) 0.93 per child (95% CI 0.79 to 1.10). The risk of any COVID-19 was similarly reduced, with the association being statistically significant (aHR per child 0.93; 95% CI 0.88 to 0.98). After schools reopened to all children in August 2020, no association was seen between exposure to young children and risk of any COVID-19 (aHR per child 1.03; 95% CI 0.92 to 1.14). Conclusion: Between March and October 2020, living with young children was associated with an attenuated risk of any COVID-19 and COVID-19 requiring hospitalisation among adults living in healthcare worker households. There was no evidence that living with young children increased adults’ risk of COVID-19, including during the period after schools reopened.
| Item Type: | Articles |
|---|---|
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | McAllister, Professor David and Thomson, Professor Emma |
| Authors: | Wood, R., Thomson, E. C., Galbraith, R., Gribben, C., Caldwell, D., Bishop, J., Reid, M., Shah, A. S.V., Templeton, K., Goldberg, D., Robertson, C., Hutchinson, S. J., Colhoun, H. M., McKeigue, P., and McAllister, D. A. |
| College/School: | College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Public Health College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity > Centre for Virus Research |
| Journal Name: | Archives of Disease in Childhood |
| Publisher: | BMJ Publishing Group |
| ISSN: | 0003-9888 |
| ISSN (Online): | 1468-2044 |
| Published Online: | 18 March 2021 |
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2021 The Authors |
| First Published: | First published in Archives of Disease in Childhood 106(12): 1212-1217 |
| Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons License |
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