A
critical factor that plays a part in susceptibility to colds is age. A
study done by the University of Michigan School of Public Health
revealed particulars that seem to hold true for the general population.
Infants are the most cold ridden group, averaging more than six colds in
their first years. Boys have more colds than girls up to age three.
After the age of three, girls are more susceptible than boys, and
teenage girls average three colds a year to boys' two. The general
incidence of colds continues to decline into maturity. Elderly people
who are in good health have as few as one or two colds annually. One
exception is found among people in their twenties, especially women, who
show a rise in cold infections, because people in this age group are
most likely to have young children. Adults who delay having children
until their thirties and forties experience the same sudden increase in
cold infections. The study also found that economics plays an important
role. As income increases, the frequency at which colds are reported in
the family decreases. Families with the lowest income suffer about a
third more colds than families at the upper end. Lower income generally
forces people to live in more cramped quarters than those typically
occupied by wealthier people, and crowding increases the opportunities
for the cold virus to travel from person to person. Low income may also
adversely influence diet. The degree to which poor nutrition affects
susceptibility to colds is not yet clearly established, but an
inadequate diet is suspected of lowering resistance generally.
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