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