Prevalence of Soil Mouthing/Ingestion among Healthy Children Aged 1 to 6

摘要: Ingestion of non-food items/mouthing behavior results in exposure children to contaminants soil/dust. We characterize the prevalence such behaviors healthy children. The relative frequency was assessed by parent interviews for 533 age 1 6. Thirty-eight percent put soil their mouths at least monthly, 24% weekly, and 11% daily. High-risk decreased quickly aged 2 or more, but still reported monthly 3 9% parents up through Highest outdoor object mouthing rates occur among 1-year-old children, who are play daily sand/dirt have generally high levels mouthing. Such may higher soil/dust ingestion when contains lead other agents. These high-risk groups help focus educational interventions and/or risk assessments.