N/A
N=987
Reducing Pesticide Exposures in Child Care Centers
Children, Only · Risk Reduction · Environmental Exposure
Bottom Line
View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03319927 ↗Enrolled (actual)
987
Serious AEs
0.0%
Results posted
Feb 2026
Primary outcome: Primary: Decrease in Child Care Center Pesticides — 1.95; 1.87; 0.59; 0.53 log10(ng/g) — p=<0.05
Study Design & Population
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- N/A
- Interventions
- Changes in pesticide exposure (Behavioral); IPM Practices (Behavioral); Educational Workshops (Behavioral)
- Age
- Pediatric, Adult, Older Adult · 3+ yrs
- Sex
- All
- Sponsor
- University of California, San Francisco
- Primary completion
- Aug 2024
Outcome Measures
| Outcome | Result | p-value |
|---|---|---|
| PRIMARY Decrease in Child Care Center Pesticides |
1.95; 1.87; 0.59; 0.53; 2.21; 2.30 | <0.05 sig |
| PRIMARY Decrease in Children's Exposure to Pesticides |
-0.04; 0.17; -0.31; -0.29; 0.35; 0.24 | <0.05 sig |
| PRIMARY Increase in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Practices |
0.83; 0.78 | .001 sig |
| SECONDARY Decrease in the Presence of Pests |
1.36; 2.68 | .02 sig |
| SECONDARY Director's Self-Efficacy |
3.75; 3.68 | 0.36 |
| SECONDARY Number of Child Care Centers With Written IPM Policies |
9; 20 | — |
Summary
A randomized control study was conducted to reduce the exposure to pesticides in child care centers. A 7-month child care health consultant-led integrated pest management (IPM) intervention was conducted in 85 child care centers serving preschool-age children in five California counties. Changes in IPM knowledge, self-efficacy, policies, IPM practices, pests, and pesticide exposure were assessed in the IPM centers and the control centers.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
The centers must meet the following criteria:
- Be a licensed child care center with a child care director who speaks English
- Used pesticides (i.e., baits or sprays) in the last year
- Operated for at least two years with no plans to close in the next 12 months
- Enroll children between three to five years of age of diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds
- Have at least 25% of enrolled children receiving a government subsidy (e.g., Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Head Start, Child Care Development Fund, Alternative Payment program).
- Have a carpet or couch on-site.
The child care providers must meet the following criteria:
- Work in the participating child care centers
- Work in the classroom of the participating children
- Work at least 30 hours a week
- Plan to work at the center over the next 9 months
The families must have a preschool-age child enrolled in the participating child care center and meet the following criteria:
- Three or four years of age
- The child spends at least six hours per day in the center
- Will be enrolled in the center for the next nine months
- Has a parent present during enrollment who speaks either English or Spanish
- Parents will complete surveys or interviews in English or Spanish in the Fall and Spring
Exclusion Criteria
- Centers that participated in an IPM intervention and training project
- Families that have children who have special health care needs or disabilities who can not participate in physical activity at the child care center.
- Center directors who do not read and write in English.
- Child care providers who do not read and write in English.
Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03319927). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.