Assessment of prevalence and associated factors of intestinal parasite infections among school children at Amber Primary School, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Objective: This study is aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of intestinal parasitic infections among school children at Amber Primary School, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Amber Primary School from December 2019 to January 2020. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data and clinical characteristics. Direct wet mount technique was applied for detection and identification of intestinal parasites. Result: A total of 384 participants were included in this study of which 50.3% were males and 65.4% were in the age group 9–12 years. The prevalence of at least one intestinal parasite was 26.8% (n = 103), of which 13.6% (n = 14) were mixed infections. Hymenolepis nana was the most prevalent intestinal parasite (5.2%) followed by Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (4.9%) and hookworm (4.7%). Male children (adjusted odds ratio = 0.624; 95% confidence interval: 0.392–0.993) and those whose mother completed elementary school (adjusted odds ratio = 2.171; 95% confidence interval: 1.012–4.658) were significantly associated with intestinal parasite infections (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Intestinal parasitic infections remained an important health problem among school children in the study area. Appropriate intervention measures should be taken to reduce the burden and related morbidities.