It seems that many families are mistaken
in their beliefs about the way colds are caught and cured.
There is a fair amount of misunderstanding in families about
ways to prevent the transmission of viral diseases in the
home.
The investigators found that 60%
of parents erroneously believed that some colds were caused
by bacteria and nearly half erroneously believed
that things such as colds, bronchitis and green mucous should
be treated with antibiotics. Colds are actually caused by
viruses, and antibiotics and antibacterial lotions have no
effect on them.
Nearly half the parents also had erroneous
beliefs about causes of colds, with 46% thinking
colds could be caused by not wearing enough clothes, 57% thinking
they could be caused by cold weather, and 37% thinking they
could be caused by going outside with wet hair.
Colds are more easily transmitted through
contact with the nose and eyes more often than through the
mouth. However, 90% of the parents
focused preventive measures on issues such as sharing drinks
or utensils, or kissing someone with a cold, while only three-quarters
correctly thought shaking hands was a key culprit for catching
a cold.
People seem obsessed with sharing drinks
with or kissing someone who has a cold, but they don't really
think shaking hands with someone who has a cold is important,
and that's very important.
Meanwhile, 50% of the parents thought
antibacterial soaps are an effective mechanism, but these
would be no more effective
against catching a cold virus than washing with simply soap
and water.
The parents who answered the survey were
95% female and were, on average, 34 years old.
Annual
Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America San
Francisco, CA October 26, 2001