Researchers at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Michigan asked more than 1000 parents, with kids between the ages of 5 and 12, which strategies they use to avoid colds and found that seven out of 10 parents use methods with no scientific evidence to back them up.
Parents are, however, also using methods to avoid colds that are backed by science like washing your hands, avoiding others who are sick, and keeping a clean household.
According to CNN, 70% of parents involved in the study reported to believe in “folklore strategies” to avoid colds, while another 51% say they rely on supplements or multivitamins which have not been proven to prevent colds in kids.
“These were likely started before people knew that germs were actually the cause of diseases like the common cold. As a result, families tried a lot of things to keep each other as healthy as possible,” the study’s author wrote.
Some myths that parents thought would get their kids sick are: going outside with wet hair, being exposed to the cold air and using multivitamins and/or supplements can prevent a cold.
The truth is, you need to be exposed to the infectious cold germs to get the cold. Having a wet head or being outside in the cold air isn’t going to give you a cold, unless you’re staying outside in the cold, with a wet head, while inhaling actual germs that cause the cold.
Researchers also say that kids who are otherwise healthy and have a balanced diet do not need additional supplements and such vitamins have never proven to show any effect on preventing a cold from rearing its ugly head.
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