Browning K S, Runyan C W, Kotch J B
Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina School of Public Health, Chapel Hill 27599-7505, USA.
Inj Prev. 1996 Sep;2(3):202-7. doi: 10.1136/ip.2.3.202.
The purpose of this study was to determine adherence to selected recommended safety standards in North Carolina child care centers.
A self administered questionnaire eliciting information about safety practices in child care was mailed to a randomly selected sample of 409 North Carolina child care centers.
One hundred and ninety five usable questionnaires were returned from child care centers in 75 counties. Results indicated that all of the standards included in the state's child regulations were being adhered to by at least 80% of the centers. However, adherence to recommended standards not included in the state's regulations was quite variable, with one standard implemented by less than 5% of the centers. The lowest rates of adherence were found for standards specifying that resilient surface material be used under playground equipment (4%) and that certain foods that may present a choking hazard to small children not be served (27%).
Many hazards not addressed in North Carolina child care regulations are present in child care centers. Some safety standards are not adhered to due to lack of knowledge or limited resources. Inclusion of national standards in state child care regulations appears to reduce, but not eliminate, the likelihood of hazards being reported. Further research should include on-site inspections and attention to safety in family child care.
本研究旨在确定北卡罗来纳州儿童保育中心对选定的推荐安全标准的遵守情况。
一份关于儿童保育安全实践的自填式问卷被邮寄给从北卡罗来纳州409家儿童保育中心中随机抽取的样本。
来自75个县的儿童保育中心共返回了195份可用问卷。结果表明，该州儿童法规中包含的所有标准至少有80%的中心遵守。然而，对该州法规未包含的推荐标准的遵守情况差异很大，其中一项标准只有不到5%的中心实施。遵守率最低的标准是规定在游乐场设备下方使用弹性地面材料（4%）以及不提供可能对幼儿造成窒息危险的某些食物（27%）。
北卡罗来纳州儿童保育法规未涉及的许多危险存在于儿童保育中心。由于知识缺乏或资源有限，一些安全标准未得到遵守。将国家标准纳入州儿童保育法规似乎可以降低但不能消除报告危险的可能性。进一步的研究应包括现场检查以及对家庭儿童保育安全的关注。
