Wood, Rachael; Thomson, Emma; Galbraith, Robert; Gribben, Ciara; Caldwell, David; Bishop, Jennifer; Reid, Martin; Shah, Anoop SV; Templeton, Kate; Goldberg, David; +5 more... Robertson, Chris; Hutchinson, Sharon J; Colhoun, Helen M; McKeigue, Paul M; McAllister, David A; (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. ISSN 0003-9888 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2021-321604
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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 | Article |
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Faculty and Department |
Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases > Dept of Clinical Research Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health > Dept of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology |
Research Centre | Covid-19 Research |
PubMed ID | 33737319 |
Elements ID | 158311 |
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Filename: Sharing a household with children and risk of COVID-19 a study of over 300 000 adults living in healthcare worker households.pdf
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