Competencies influencing childcare providers' infectious-disease prevention in routine and outbreak contexts: a study in South Korea

Introduction Empirical evidence is limited regarding the competency domains that influence childcare providers' routine and outbreak-related infection-prevention behaviors in early-childhood settings. This study, therefore, aimed to identify the competencies that affect the infectious-disease prevention behaviors of childcare providers. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 239 childcare providers in an early-childhood education center. The variables were measured using self-administered questionnaires. Descriptive data for each factor were assessed, and Pearson's correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlations between infectious-disease prevention practices and the related factors. Stepwise multiple regression was used to identify the predictive factors for infectious-disease prevention practices. Data were collected between May 31, 2023, and June 12, 2023. Results The factors influencing childcare providers' daily infectious-disease prevention practices were educational guidance (β = 0.19, p = 0.02), environmental management (β = 0.22, p = 0.001), and surveillance (β = 0.17, p = 0.022) competencies; these accounted for 53.7% of the variance. The factors influencing infectious-disease outbreak prevention practices were surveillance (β = 0.22, p = 0.011), research and empowerment (β = 0.20, p = 0.032), and personal management (β = 0.18, p = 0.031) competencies; these accounted for 43.9% of the variance. Discussion Enhancing childcare providers' infectious-disease prevention practices requires providing them with educational information, internal motivation, and support for effective strategies tailored according to children's ages. This study's findings can help community health managers and policymakers develop interventions and policies to support the prevention and management of infectious diseases in young children.