Non-scientific methods to prevent colds are common among American parents – Quartz

A vast majority of American parents resort to useless methods, many of which have been pbaded down by previous generations and who do not rely on science, to try to protect their children from colds.

Researchers at CS Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan commissioned a nationally representative survey of 1,119 US parents with at least one child aged 5 to 12 years to find out more about what they were doing. do to prevent colds at home. The good news is that virtually all parents, 99%, say their approach is to encourage habits to develop good personal hygiene, a practice supported by solid scientific evidence. Another well-established method in the scientific sense, which avoids people already suffering from colds, is widely used: 87% of parents reported using this approach.

But there is also the 70% of parents who incorporate what constitutes a non-scientific fantasy as a line of defense. This includes warning children not to go out with wet hair, telling them not to go out at all and, conversely, asking them to spend less more weather on the outside.

Just over 50% of parents responded that they gave their children over-the-counter supplements, such as vitamin C, zinc, and echinacea – none of them benefiting from scientific support (it has been shown that zinc reduced the duration of a cold, but not prevent one). Manufacturers of such supplements are known to advertise health benefits that are not based on science at all.

Such folkloric strategies probably began when people were not aware that microorganisms were the cause of colds (rhinoviruses were the most common cause). The cold usually spreads when mucous drops from the nose or mouth of an infected person spread through the air after a sneeze or cough, or when microorganisms spill onto the surface of objects that people touch regularly, such as doorknobs and toys. .

Once a cold is introduced into a household, it is easy to pbad it on, disrupting the life of a family unit. On a macro scale, the cold is also quite disruptive. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people catch on average two to three times a year. And it can be expensive. The University of Michigan Health System estimated that the cold cost up to $ 40 billion a year to the US economy because of direct medical costs and indirect expenses related to lost work . By comparison, the flu would cost the economy about $ 10.4 billion each year.