Research article

Intestinal parasitic infection: prevalence, knowledge, attitude, and practices among schoolchildren in an urban area of Taiz city, Yemen

  • Received: 15 July 2020 Accepted: 23 September 2020 Published: 27 September 2020
  • Background Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are regarded as one of the main public health problems and socio-economic issues adversely affecting the health of millions of people worldwide. Our study aimed to describe the knowledge, attitude, and practices of local urban schoolchildren in Taiz City towards intestinal parasitic infections. Methods and material This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Taiz, Yemen from March to May 2019. A total of 385 schoolchildren were selected using a random sampling technique from 7 primary schools. Wet-mount microscopic examination, formol-ether concentration techniques, and Lugols' iodine were employed in parasite detection and cyst identification. Results Of the 385 schoolchildren examined for IPIs, 107 (27.8%) were positive for the presence of enteric parasites, some having multiple infections. The prevalence was slightly higher in males 46 (28.6%) than in females 61 (27.2%) but have no statistical difference (P = 0.77). Entamoeba histolytica/dispar was the most common infection with 16.4% of cases. A substantial percentage (40.5%) of the respondents displayed poor knowledge. The respondents also revealed inappropriate attitudes and practices that contribute to the prevalence of IPIs in the study. Conclusions The study revealed the prevalence of intestinal parasites among the schoolchildren in Taiz, Yemen, suggesting that IPIs remain a major public health problem. Entamoeba histolytica/dispar was the most prevalent intestinal parasites identified among the schoolchildren. Age, poor knowledge of the mode of transmission, prevention, and acquisition of IPIs, and poor habitual hygiene practices increase the risk of acquiring intestinal infections.

    Citation: Talal Alharazi, Omar AA Bamaga, Nazeh Al-Abd, Jerold C Alcantara. Intestinal parasitic infection: prevalence, knowledge, attitude, and practices among schoolchildren in an urban area of Taiz city, Yemen[J]. AIMS Public Health, 2020, 7(4): 769-777. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2020059

    Related Papers:

  • Background Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are regarded as one of the main public health problems and socio-economic issues adversely affecting the health of millions of people worldwide. Our study aimed to describe the knowledge, attitude, and practices of local urban schoolchildren in Taiz City towards intestinal parasitic infections. Methods and material This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Taiz, Yemen from March to May 2019. A total of 385 schoolchildren were selected using a random sampling technique from 7 primary schools. Wet-mount microscopic examination, formol-ether concentration techniques, and Lugols' iodine were employed in parasite detection and cyst identification. Results Of the 385 schoolchildren examined for IPIs, 107 (27.8%) were positive for the presence of enteric parasites, some having multiple infections. The prevalence was slightly higher in males 46 (28.6%) than in females 61 (27.2%) but have no statistical difference (P = 0.77). Entamoeba histolytica/dispar was the most common infection with 16.4% of cases. A substantial percentage (40.5%) of the respondents displayed poor knowledge. The respondents also revealed inappropriate attitudes and practices that contribute to the prevalence of IPIs in the study. Conclusions The study revealed the prevalence of intestinal parasites among the schoolchildren in Taiz, Yemen, suggesting that IPIs remain a major public health problem. Entamoeba histolytica/dispar was the most prevalent intestinal parasites identified among the schoolchildren. Age, poor knowledge of the mode of transmission, prevention, and acquisition of IPIs, and poor habitual hygiene practices increase the risk of acquiring intestinal infections.


    加载中


    Conflict of interest



    All authors declare no conflicts of interest in this paper.

    [1] Nyantekyi LA, Legesse M, Belay M, et al. (2010) Intestinal parasitic infections among under-five children and maternal awareness about the infections in Shesha Kekele, Wondo Genet, Southern Ethiopia. Ethiop J Heal Dev 24: 185-190.
    [2] Kidane E, Mekonnen S, Kebede A, et al. (2014) Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections and their associations with anthropometric measurements of school children in selected primary schools, Wukro town, eastern Tigray, Ethiopia. Int J Curr Microbiol Appl Sci 2: 11-29.
    [3] Casapía M, Joseph SA, Núñez C, et al. (2006) Parasite risk factors for stunting in grade 5 students in a community of extreme poverty in Peru. Int J Parasitol 36: 741-747. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2006.03.004
    [4] Sinha N, Deshmukh PR, Garg BS (2008) Epidemiological correlates of nutritional anemia among children (6–35 months) in rural Wardha, Central India. Indian J Med Sci 62: 45-54. doi: 10.4103/0019-5359.39366
    [5] Mwale K, Siziya S (2015) Intestinal Infestations in Under-Five Children in Zambia. Int J MCH AIDS 4: 40-46.
    [6] Muhajir AE, Hajissa K, Mohamed Z, et al. (2017) Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infection among Children in Al-kalakla, Khartoum, Sudan. World Appl Sci J 35: 219-222.
    [7] Wafa AL, Al-Megrin (2015) Assessment the prevalence of intestinal parasites and associated risk factors among preschool children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Res J Parasitol 10: 31-41. doi: 10.3923/jp.2015.31.41
    [8] Ismail KA (2018) Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infection among School Children in Taif. iMedPub J 3: 1-4.
    [9] Zemene T, Shiferaw MB (2018) Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in children under the age of 5 years attending the Debre Birhan referral hospital, North Shoa, Ethiopia. BMC Res Notes 11: 58. doi: 10.1186/s13104-018-3166-3
    [10] Sarkari B, Hosseini G, Motazedian MH, et al. (2016) Prevalence and risk factors of intestinal protozoan infections: a population-based study in rural areas of Boyer-Ahmad district, Southwestern Iran. BMC Infect Dis 16: 1-5. doi: 10.1186/s12879-016-2047-4
    [11] Alharazi T (2016) Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Intestinal Parasitic Infection among Patients in Taiz City, Yemen. Br Microbiol Res J 16: 1-7. doi: 10.9734/BMRJ/2016/28317
    [12] Alwabr G, Al-Moayed EE (2016) Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among school children of Al-Mahweet Governorate, Yemen. Eur J Biol Res 6: 64-73.
    [13] Al-Mekhlafi AM, Abdul-Ghani R, Al-Eryani SM, et al. (2016) School-based prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections and associated risk factors in rural communities of Sana'a, Yemen. Acta Trop 163: 135-141. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2016.08.009
    [14] Hassen Amer O, Ashankyty IM, Haouas NA (2016) Prevalence of intestinal parasite infections among patients in local public hospitals of Hail, Northwestern Saudi Arabia. Asian Pac J Trop Med 9: 44-48. doi: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2015.12.009
    [15] Alsubaie ASR, Azazy AA, Omer EO, et al. (2016) Pattern of parasitic infections as public health problem among school children: A comparative study between rural and urban areas. J Taibah Univ Med Sci 11: 13-18.
    [16] Dash NN, Al-Zarouni M, Anwar K, et al. (2010) Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Hum Parasit Dis 2: 21-24. doi: 10.4137/HPD.S5081
    [17] Abu-Madi MA, Behnke JM, Doiphode SH (2010) Changing trends in intestinal parasitic infections among long-term-residents and settled immigrants in Qatar. Parasites Vectors 3: 98. doi: 10.1186/1756-3305-3-98
    [18] Saki J, Khademvatan S, Masoumi K, et al. (2012) Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among food handlers in Khuzestan, Southwest of Iran: A 10-year retrospective study. Afr J Microbiol Res 6: 2475-2480.
    [19] Gimba UN, Dawam NN (2015) Epidemiological satatus of intestinal parasitic infection rates in children attending Gwagwalda Township Clinic, FCT-Abuja, Nigeria. Am J Res Commun 3: 97-110.
    [20] Mekonnen Z, Suleman S, Biruksew A, et al. (2016) Intestinal polyparasitism with special emphasis to soil-transmitted helminths among residents around Gilgel Gibe Dam, Southwest Ethiopia: a community based survey. BMC Public Health 16: 1-7. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3859-2
    [21] Nasr NA, Al-Mekhlafi HM, Ahmed A, et al. (2013) Towards an effective control programme of soil-transmitted helminth infections among Orang Asli in rural Malaysia. Part 1: Prevalence and associated key factors. Parasites Vectors 6: 1-12. doi: 10.1186/1756-3305-6-1
    [22] Hazazi A, Chandramohan S, Khan J, et al. (2018) Knowledge Attitude and Practices Regarding Personal Hygiene among the Male Primary School Children in Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study. Helix 8: 3215-3223. doi: 10.29042/2018-3215-3223
    [23] Elsabagh HM, Atlam SA, Shehab NA (2016) Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Personal Hygiene among Original Article Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Personal Hygiene among Preschool Children in Tanta city, Gharbia Governorate, Egypt. Int J Med Res Prof 2: 255-261.
    [24] Assefa M, Kumie A (2014) Assessment of factors influencing hygiene behaviour among school children in Mereb-Leke District, Northern Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 14: 1-8. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-1000
    [25] Lopez-Quintero C, Freeman P, Neumark Y, et al. (2009) Hand washing among school children in Bogotá, Colombia. Am J Public Health 99: 94-101. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2007.129759
    [26] Gebreeyessus GD, Adem DB (2018) Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice on Hygiene and Morbidity Status among Tertiary Students: The Case of Kotebe Metropolitan University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. J Environ Public Health 2018: 1-9. doi: 10.1155/2018/2094621
  • Reader Comments
  • © 2020 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com
  • 1. 

    沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院 沈阳 110142

  1. 本站搜索
  2. 百度学术搜索
  3. 万方数据库搜索
  4. CNKI搜索

Metrics

Article views(4196) PDF downloads(245) Cited by(4)

Article outline

Figures and Tables

Figures(1)  /  Tables(3)

/

DownLoad:  Full-Size Img  PowerPoint
Return
Return

Catalog