Healthy Home and Child Care Initiative
Part One
Presented By
Carolle Olinde
Acknowledgements
The information has been adapted from the
Healthy Homes Partnership’s
Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD)
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
through
Cooperative State Research, Education, and
Extension Service (CSREES)
Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals
(LDHH)
Part One
Today’s session will cover
pages 1-28 of the
Help Yourself to a Healthy Home
publication
This publication is available
online at:
http://www.healthyhomespartnership.net/book.html
Help Yourself to a Healthy Home
Part One
Pre - Knowledge Test
What is a healthy home
and childcare?
• A healthy home or child care facility is an
environment designed, constructed,
maintained, or rehabilitated in a manner that
supports the health of residents/occupants.
• A growing body of evidence links housing
conditions to health outcomes such as
asthma, lead poisoning, lung cancer, and
unintentional injuries.
Why focus on
Healthy Homes and Childcare?
• Reduce health hazards
• Improve substandard housing and child care
facilities
• Help improve public health.
• Promote the growth and development of our
children
• Save billions of dollars in health care costs.
Seven Principles of
Healthy Homes and Childcare
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Keep it dry
Keep it clean
Keep it pest-free
Keep it ventilated
Keep it safe
Keep it contaminate-free
Keep it maintained
ASK YOURSELF
Is the air in your home or child care clean and healthy?
Do your children have breathing problems, like asthma?
Is someone in your home or child care allergic to mold?
Do you know the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning?
Is there lead anywhere in your home?
Is your tap water safe to drink?
Do you have household products with chemicals in them that can make you sick?
Do you use bug spray or other products to keep away pests?
Do you keep poisons where your children can reach them?
Today we will try to answer some of these questions
and give you ideas about how to protect yourself and
children’s health.
Why is this important?
Why focus on children?
• Some of the most serious
health problems for children
start at home and in child care
settings
• Most people spend over 90%
of their time indoors
• Children’s bodies are still
growing
• Children crawl and play on the
ground, thus increasing
exposure
Indoor Air Quality Concerns
• The number of children
with asthma has
doubled in the past 10
years
• 1 in 15 children under
18 year of age has
asthma
Lead Poisoning Concerns
• 1 in 40 American children has
too much lead in his or her
body
• Dust from lead paint is the
biggest threat to young
children
• Lead in drinking water is also
a problem
Drinking Water Concerns
• 95% of people living in rural
areas use private wells for their
drinking water
Hazardous Household
Products Concerns
Thousands of children die each
year from chemicals stored and
used improperly in the home
Concerns About Pesticides
Nearly one-half of households
with a child under the age of
five had pesticides stored within
reach of children.
Concerns About Safety
Each year over
6 million people
are hurt in accidents
that occur in the home
Indoor Air Quality
Should you be concerned?
• Sometimes indoor air
problems come from what
people DO in their homes
• Sometimes indoor air
problems come from what
people HAVE in their
homes
The Problem With VOC’s
Questions to Ask – page 8
• About your family’s or
children’s health
• About radon
• About living in your home
or your child care center
IAQ – Asthma Connection
• Indoor Air Quality
(IAQ)
• Children spend
approximately
90% of their time
indoors
• Reducing asthma
triggers can
reduce asthma
symptoms
Indoor Air Quality Action Steps
• Do not smoke in the
home or around children
• Keep pets out of
bedrooms & living areas
• Pay attention to
housekeeping
• Use open windows and
fans when using
chemicals
• New carpet – should
air before installing;
install in spring,
summer or fall
• New furniture &
building materials – air
before bringing into
house; purchase
products that are
‘green’
Asthma and Allergies
Should you be concerned?
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ATTACK SIGNS
Tightness in chest
Shortness of breath
Wheezing
Coughing
ASTHMA TRIGGERS
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Cold weather, exercise, strong emotions,
Pollen
DANDER
PESTS
SMOKE
DUST
MOLD
Carbon Monoxide
Personal care and cleaning products
Flu & colds
Asthma and Allergies
SIGNS/SYMPTOMS
• Runny nose
• Stuffy nose
• Coughing
• Hives
• Itching
• Rash
• Puffy eyes
• Watery eyes
COMMON ALLERGENS
• Foods
• Medicines
• Insect stings an bites
• Contact allergens
• Asthma triggers
Asthma & Allergies – Questions to Ask
• Does anyone in your family have
asthma or allergies?
• Does someone in your family
notice burning eyes, coughing, or
sneezing that happens most often
at home?
• Does your home have carpet that
is not cleaned well or not cleaned
often?
• Do you have carpeting, stuffed
toys or fleecy materials in
bedrooms?
• Do you keep pets inside?
• How often do you wash sheets,
blankets and other bedding?
• Do you sotre food in containers or
boxes that do not have covers?
• Has it been more than a year
since you have your furnace, flues
and chimneys inspected and
cleaned?
• Does anyone smoke inside your
home?
• Is your home damp or musty?
Asthma & Allergy Action Steps
• Attend to your asthma
and allergies
• Focus on housekeeping
• Control dustmites
• Control pests
• Manage pets
• Check appliances
• NO SMOKING
• Address mold
Learning Activity
• Show and Tell
Mold and Moisture
Should you be concerned?
• Mold locations:
– Bathrooms
– Sinks
– Attics under leaky roofs
– Wet clothes
– Windows and walls
– Closets
– Under wallpaper or carpet
– Air conditioner
Questions to Ask – page 18
• Family’s Health
• Home Mold
Assessment
• Presence of Moisture
Mold & Mildew Action Steps
Small Steps
to
Healthier
Child Care
Mold & Mildew Action Steps
How do I clean up
mold?
How do I test for
mold?
Carbon Monoxide
Should you be concerned?
Attributes of CO
Sources of CO
• Invisible
• Fuel burning appliances
– Gas & oil furnaces
• Tasteless
– Wood-burning fireplaces & stoves
• Odorless
– Gas appliances
• Deadly
– Gas/kerosene space heaters
• 500 CO U. S. deaths
– Gas/charcoal grills
annually
– Vehicles
• Brain damage
– Gas/propane powered appliances
– Recreational vehicles
• Loss of sight & hearing
– Tobacco smoke
• Heart problems
– House fires, blocked chimneys/flues
Carbon Monoxide
Should you be concerned?
Effects of CO
• Low levels can hurt
brain, heart, and
other organs
• High levels affect
clear thinking,
muscle control,
consciousness
Signs of CO Poisoning
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Headache
Nausea
Vomiting
Dizziness
Confusion
Tired
Weak
Sleepy
Tight chest/trouble breathing
Changes in senses
Questions to Ask – page 25
Checklist for CO
Let’s check!
Carbon Monoxide Action Steps
• Grills & engines
• Vehicle
• Annual checks for
heaters &
fireplaces
• CO alarms
• Ovens & stoves
• Exhaust fan
• Gas range top
• Do not use
smoking fireplace
Carbon Monoxide Action Steps
• STEPS IF CO ALARM
GOES OFF
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GO OUTSIDE
911
DOCTOR/NURSE
DO NOT IGNORE
CHECK BY CONTRACTOR
DO NOT RETURN HOME UNTIL
PROBLEM IS CORRECTED
Healthy Home and Child Care Initiative
Part One - SUMMARY
By Carolle Olinde