The Business Case for Protecting and Promoting Child and Adolescent HealthHealth Impact
Respiratory infections cause pain and discomfort for children, result in restricted activity days or
missed school days, and are easily transmitted to other children and adults. Children who develop
respiratory infections during infancy are also at greater risk of developing bronchial obstruction
during their first 2 years, and asthma at 4 years of age.^47
Economic Burden
In addition to direct medical costs, URIs result in lost productivity and absenteeism costs for
employers. Studies suggest that parents lose 1.2 hours of work time each time their child under
the age of 12 gets a cold.^48 In total, children’s colds are responsible for $230 million dollars of lost
productivity each year.^48
Prevention Opportunities
Children with URIs are frequently treated with antibiotics, despite the fact that antibiotics are not
indicated for such infections. Treating children with URIs with antibiotics can be harmful because it^44 :
• Decreases the effectiveness of currently prescribed antibiotics against bacterial respiratory
organisms.
• Increases the child’s risk of developing a drug-resistant URI.
Despite the known dangers of using antibiotics to treat URIs, an estimated $227 million dollars
are spent each year to treat patients with URIs.^38 Employers should educate their beneficiaries on
the appropriate use of antibiotics, and should work with their health plans and pharmacy benefit
managers (PBMs) to develop strategies to curb inappropriate prescription patterns.
Employers also have opportunities to help prevent the spread of URIs through employee education.
For example, employers could provide prevention information in new parent classes, in existing
health promotion programs, at health fairs, in open enrollment materials, or at the worksite. These
materials should remind parents to teach their children to^16 :
• Thoroughly wash their hands.
• Use a tissue to cover their noses and mouths when coughing and sneezing.
• Put soiled tissues into a wastebasket.
• Avoid sharing cups, spoons, dishes, and towels with other children and adults.
• Avoid other children who are ill.
Injuries (Children and Adolescents)