Prevalence of Giardia lamblia and risk factors for infection among children attending day-care facilities in Denver.

A sample of children in the toddler age group was surveyed in Denver, CO, to determine the prevalence of Giardia lamblia and to identify risk factors for the intestinal disease. The sample consisted of 236 children attending day-care centers (DCC) and 79 who were not attending. Thirty-eight children (16 percent) attending DCCs and 7 (9 percent) who had not were positive for G. lamblia in stool samples. Risk factors for those attending DCC facilities included increasing duration of attendance, time per week attending DCCs, low family income, and large family size. The only risk factor for those not attending DCC facilities was travel to Colorado mountains. Multivariate analysis showed that risk factors for all children in the sample included travel to Colorado mountains, large family size, and attending DCC facilities. Infection was not associated with symptoms.