IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i3p2536-d1052649.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Decreased Respiratory-Related Absenteeism among Preschool Students after Installation of Upper Room Germicidal Ultraviolet Light: Analysis of Newly Discovered Historical Data

Author

Listed:
  • Christopher W. Ryan

    (Binghamton Clinical Campus, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 48 Corliss Avenue, Johnson City, NY 13790, USA
    Broome County Health Department, 225 Front Street, Binghamton, NY 13905, USA)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought renewed urgency to air disinfection. Upper room germicidal ultraviolet light (GUV) disinfects room air very efficiently. Its effect on practical outcomes in public settings remains unclear, but history may provide some insights. An interrupted time series model was fitted to a newly discovered dataset of attendance records from a preschool between 1941 to 1949, where GUV was installed in December 1945. GUV was associated with a sizable reduction in child absenteeism due to respiratory illnesses of any cause. Odds ratios for the effect ranged from 0.5 to 0.77, depending on the season. In all but high summer, model-predicted absenteeism rates were reduced by between a third and a half by GUV. Wider use of upper room germicidal UV systems in schools and preschools may be worthwhile, to reduce absenteeism due to respiratory illness and the educational, social, and economic consequences that ensue.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher W. Ryan, 2023. "Decreased Respiratory-Related Absenteeism among Preschool Students after Installation of Upper Room Germicidal Ultraviolet Light: Analysis of Newly Discovered Historical Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-11, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:3:p:2536-:d:1052649
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/3/2536/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/3/2536/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chunxiao Su & Josephine Lau & Fang Yu, 2017. "A Case Study of Upper-Room UVGI in Densely-Occupied Elementary Classrooms by Real-Time Fluorescent Bioaerosol Measurements," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, January.
    2. Frieden, T.R., 2010. "A framework for public health action: The health impact pyramid," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(4), pages 590-595.
    3. Marcus Keogh-Brown & Richard Smith & John Edmunds & Philippe Beutels, 2010. "The macroeconomic impact of pandemic influenza: estimates from models of the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and The Netherlands," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 11(6), pages 543-554, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Phurichai Rungcharoenkitkul, 2021. "Macroeconomic effects of COVID‐19: A mid‐term review," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(4), pages 439-458, October.
    2. Mendez Lopez, Ana & Loopstra, Rachel & McKee, Martin & Stuckler, David, 2017. "Is trade liberalisation a vector for the spread of sugar-sweetened beverages? A cross-national longitudinal analysis of 44 low- and middle-income countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 21-27.
    3. Chen Zhang & Xiaoming Li & Yu Liu & Shan Qiao & Liying Zhang & Yuejiao Zhou & Zhenzhu Tang & Zhiyong Shen & Yi Chen, 2016. "Stigma against People Living with HIV/AIDS in China: Does the Route of Infection Matter?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(3), pages 1-15, March.
    4. Bolte, Gabriele, 2018. "Epidemiologische Methoden und Erkenntnisse als eine Grundlage für Stadtplanung und gesundheitsfördernde Stadtentwicklung," Forschungsberichte der ARL: Aufsätze, in: Baumgart, Sabine & Köckler, Heike & Ritzinger, Anne & Rüdiger, Andrea (ed.), Planung für gesundheitsfördernde Städte, volume 8, pages 118-134, ARL – Akademie für Raumentwicklung in der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft.
    5. Vishal D. Nathu & Jurate Virkutyte & Marepalli B. Rao & Marina Nieto-Caballero & Mark Hernandez & Tiina Reponen, 2022. "Direct-Read Fluorescence-Based Measurements of Bioaerosol Exposure in Home Healthcare," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-15, March.
    6. Nova Corcoran, 2017. "Promoting health in lesbian and bisexual women: it is not just about behaviour change," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(21-22), pages 3742-3750, November.
    7. Mayra L Estrella & Natalya I Rosenberg & Ramon A Durazo-Arvizu & Hector M Gonzalez & Matthew S Loop & Richard H Singer & James P Lash & Sheila F Castañeda & Krista M Perreira & Kamal Eldeirawi & Marth, 2018. "The association of employment status with ideal cardiovascular health factors and behaviors among Hispanic/Latino adults: Findings from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(11), pages 1-22, November.
    8. World Bank, 2020. "China Economic Update, July 2020," World Bank Publications - Reports 34264, The World Bank Group.
    9. Sebastian del Busto & Inés Galindo & Juan Jesús Hernandez & Francisco Camarelles & Esther Nieto & Águeda Caballero & María Sandín Vázquez, 2019. "Creating a Collaborative Platform for the Development of Community Interventions to Prevent Non-Communicable Diseases," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-14, February.
    10. Katie Adamek & Sarah Bardin & So O'Neil & Dara Lee Luca, "undated". "Accelerating Teen Pregnancy Prevention in Phillips County, Arkansas and Coahoma County, Mississippi," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 7fda86cbb1bf4303a84f466e8, Mathematica Policy Research.
    11. Mabugu, Ramos E. & Maisonnave, Helene & Henseler, Martin & Chitiga-Mabugu, Margaret & Makochekanwa, Albert, 2023. "Implications of COVID-19 and mitigation measures on gender and the Zimbabwean economy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    12. Domenico Delli Gatti & Severin Reissl & Enrico Turco, 2023. "V for vaccines and variants," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 33(4), pages 991-1046, September.
    13. Grdenić, Goran & Delimar, Marko & Robić, Slavica, 2020. "Framing the context of energy poverty in Croatia: A case-study from Zagreb," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    14. Loïc Berger & Nicolas Berger & Valentina Bosetti & Itzhak Gilboa & Lars Peter Hansen & Christopher Jarvis & Massimo Marinacci & Richard D. Smith, 2020. "Uncertainty and decision-making during a crisis: How to make policy decisions in the COVID-19 context?," Working Papers 666, IGIER (Innocenzo Gasparini Institute for Economic Research), Bocconi University.
    15. Rita Ferreira Gomes & Beatriz Casais, 2018. "Feelings generated by threat appeals in social marketing: text and emoji analysis of user reactions to anorexia nervosa campaigns in social media," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 15(4), pages 591-607, December.
    16. Ahmed, S. Amer & Baris, Enis & Go, Delfin S & Lofgren, Hans & Osorio Rodarte, Israel & Thierfelder, Karen, 2017. "Assessing the Global Economic and Poverty Effects of Antimicrobial Resistance," Conference papers 332903, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    17. Leroy de Morel, Laetitia & Wittwer, Glyn & Gamperle, Dion & Leung, Christina, 2020. "The potential local and regional impacts of COVID-19 in New Zealand with a focus on tourism," Conference papers 333207, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    18. Sean Lucan & Nandita Mitra, 2012. "Perceptions of the food environment are associated with fast-food (not fruit-and-vegetable) consumption: findings from multi-level models," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 57(3), pages 599-608, June.
    19. Klas Kellerborg & Werner Brouwer & Pieter Baal, 2020. "Costs and benefits of interventions aimed at major infectious disease threats: lessons from the literature," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 21(9), pages 1329-1350, December.
    20. Don Pagach & Monika Wieczorek-Kosmala, 2020. "The Challenges and Opportunities for ERM Post-COVID-19: Agendas for Future Research," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-10, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:3:p:2536-:d:1052649. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.