Question

Enterobiasis is more common in young children. A primary reason is that young children: A. Share hats and caps B. Wear training pants C. Engage in imitative play D. Have hand-to-mouth contact

Short answer

Answer: The primary reason why enterobiasis is more common in young children is that they frequently have hand-to-mouth contact, which facilitates the fecal-oral transmission of the pinworm eggs.

Step-by-step solution

Understand enterobiasis

Enterobiasis, also known as pinworm infection, is an intestinal infection caused by the pinworm Enterobius vermicularis. The primary mode of transmission is the fecal-oral route, which means that the infection is spread when an individual ingests pinworm eggs that have been contaminated from feces.

Evaluate each option against the mode of transmission

Now, examine each option and see which one is the most likely to contribute to the fecal-oral transmission of pinworm eggs: A. Share hats and caps - Sharing hats and caps doesn't typically involve contact with feces, so it's not a primary reason for the spread of enterobiasis. B. Wear training pants - Training pants may increase the likelihood of coming into contact with feces while changing, but they are not directly related to the fecal-oral transmission route. C. Engage in imitative play - Imitative play doesn't necessarily involve contact with feces or the ingestion of pinworm eggs. D. Have hand-to-mouth contact - This behavior is most closely related to the fecal-oral route of transmission. Hand-to-mouth contact can result in ingesting pinworm eggs if the hands have been contaminated from touching surfaces with pinworm eggs or directly from feces.

Pick the most related behavior

Based on the evaluation in Step 2, Option D (Have hand-to-mouth contact) is the most related behavior to the fecal-oral route of transmission, which is the primary mode of transmission for enterobiasis. Therefore, the correct answer is: D. Have hand-to-mouth contact