scholarly journals Knowledge, Practice of Personal Hygiene, School Sanitation, and Risk Factors of Contracting Diarrhea among Rural Students from Five Western Provinces in China

Author(s):  
Yu-E Cha ◽  
Yuan-Zheng Fu ◽  
Wei Yao

Background: Diarrhea is a global public health issue and a leading cause of childhood malnutrition, growth disturbances, and mortality. The spread of diarrhea is closely linked to the knowledge and maintenance of personal hygiene and quality of drinking water and sanitation facilities. However, there are few such investigations and analysis in rural areas of China. This study aims to determine the association between the risk of contracting diarrhea and knowledge and practices of personal hygiene and school sanitation among rural students as well as provide a scientific basis for preventing the spread of diarrhea and other infectious diseases. A stratified cluster sampling method was used to randomly select 12 rural primary schools in each of 5 counties where the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Plus Program has been implemented. The counties are located in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Chongqing municipality, Guizhou province, Yunnan province, and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. A single fourth-grade class was randomly chosen from each of the 60 schools for observation and a questionnaire survey. The study involved a total of 2330 students. The logistic regression method was adopted to determine the factors contributing to diarrhea in rural students. The results show that male students accounted for 49.40% (n = 1151) of the 2330 research subjects; the average age of the students was 9.9 ± 0.3 years. Approximately 33.09% of the students suffered from diarrhea in the three months leading up to the survey. The odds ratios (ORs) of students who did not know that “diarrhea can be prevented by washing fruits before eating them raw and not drinking untreated water” (OR: 1.303, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.063, 1.597) and that “the disease can be prevented by washing hands before meals and after going to the toilet” (OR: 1.522, 95% CI: 1.207, 1.920) were higher than those who knew the above stated facts. Students who “have drunk untreated water at school” (OR: 1.584, 95% CI: 1.268, 1.978), “have drunk untreated water at home” (OR: 1.643, 95% CI: 1.319, 2.048), and “did not wash hands before every meal” (OR: 1.490, 95% CI: 1.120, 1.983) were at a higher risk of contracting diarrhea than those who drank treated water at school and at home and washed their hands before every meal. Diarrhea was more likely to affect students who attended schools with unclean and poorly maintained toilets (OR: 1.586, 95% CI: 1.261, 1.995) or toilets with flies (OR: 1.383, 95% CI: 1.114, 1.717) and without adequate drinking water facilities (OR: 1.407, 95% CI: 1.009, 1.962). The knowledge of methods to maintain personal hygiene, general hygiene practices, and school sanitation are the three major risk factors that account for the spread of diarrhea among rural students from five western provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) of China. Therefore, to prevent such diseases and maintain health, it is important to provide students with health education, help them develop good hygiene habits, ensure the provision of clean water at schools, and improve the overall school environments.

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-66
Author(s):  
Sowmini P. Kamath ◽  
Shrividya Shrishakumar ◽  
Animesh Jain ◽  
Anand Ramakrishna ◽  
Shantharam B Baliga

Introduction: Asthma is common in childhood and is a major public health issue. The objectives of this study were to identify risk and triggering factors associated with asthma among school children.Material and Methods: A prospective cross sectional study was conducted among 6-15 years old children, over two months in two private schools at Mangalore city. Trigger factors were assessed as per asthma trigger inventory (ATI). Responses were graded from 0-5 score based on ‘never’,’ rarely’, ‘sometimes’, ‘most of the time’ and ‘always’. A predesigned questionnaire suiting the city environment was prepared and used to assess the risk and triggering factors. Analysis was done using SPSS version 16.Results: Asthma and allergic rhinitis in parents (34.1%,40.7%), smoking at home(24.2%), exclusive breast feeding absence (27.5%),early weaning(24.2%), living in a flat (37.4%) and pets at home(37.4%) were risk factors noted. As per ATI, it was found that ‘having a cold’ was the most frequently selected trigger at 94.5% (47.3% ‘sometimes’, 2.2% ‘always’), followed by ‘running’ at 79.1% (27.5% ‘sometimes’, 13.2% ‘always’), and ‘house dust’ at 69.2% (31.9% ‘sometimes’, 6.6% ‘always’). The highest mean was for infections, (2.228, SD=0.546), followed by physical exercise (2.167, SD=0.331). Animal allergens had lowest mean (1.527, SD=0.104), followed by psychological triggers at second lowest (1.579, SD=0.181). However none of the risk and trigger factors had statistical significance with asthma.Conclusion: Avoiding exposure to probable triggers and identifying risk factors would aid in planning effective strategic measures with better quality of life.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Njambi ◽  
Dennis Magu ◽  
Janet Masaku ◽  
Collins Okoyo ◽  
Sammy M. Njenga

School children bear a significant burden of intestinal parasitic infections. Because they spend most of their time at home and school, it is necessary to identify the key water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) factors associated with these infections in both environments. This was a cross-sectional survey conducted in Mwea West, Kirinyaga County. 180 primary school children aged 8–14 years were randomly selected from three schools (Mianya, Mbui Njeru, and Mukou primary schools). Questionnaires and checklists were administered and single stool samples were collected. Stool samples were microscopically examined for Schistosoma mansoni, soil-transmitted helminths, and protozoan infections. Data on WASH were obtained at home and school. The factors significantly associated with S. mansoni and intestinal protozoa infections in the school children were determined using univariable and multivariable logistic regression models reporting the odds ratio at 95% confidence intervals. The overall prevalence of S. mansoni and intestinal protozoa infections was 70.5% (95% CI: 59.1–84.3) and 32.7% (95% CI: 26.8–40.1), respectively. Only one case of STH (A. lumbricoides) was identified. The prevalence of coinfections of S. mansoni and intestinal protozoa infections was 22.8% (95% CI: 19.2–27.1). An increased prevalence of S. mansoni infection was associated with children above 12 years (aOR = 3.19, p=0.015), those in Mianya primary (aOR = 1.23, p=0.001), those in Mukou primary (aOR = 3.19, p=0.001), and reported behavior of wearing shoes at home (aOR = 1.67, p=0.010). However, handwashing behavior after defecation at home (aOR = 0.39, p=0.001) was protective against S. mansoni infection. For any protozoan infection, male children had increased odds of infection (aOR = 2.41, p=0.001) while use of wiping material (aOR = 0.55, p=0.019) and water contact (aOR = 0.32, p=0.001) was protective against intestinal protozoa infections. Infections with S. mansoni and any protozoa and their coinfection were present. Findings revealed that several hygiene factors were protective against infections while other were risk factors. Therefore, deworming should be complemented with behavior education on hygienic habits.


Author(s):  
Mohammed Ali Alshahethi ◽  
Wadhah Hassan Edrees ◽  
Nabil Mohammed Mogalli ◽  
Ali Ahmed Al-Halani ◽  
Wadee Abdullah Al-Shehari ◽  
...  

Objective: The widespread prevalence of Giardiasis is a public health problem worldwide, and it is also common among Yemeni children. Hence, this work aims to identify the prevalent Giardia lamblia infection and risk factors among children admitted to health care centers in Amran governorate in Yemen. Methods: Three hundred and thirty-four stool samples were collected from infected children between March and July 2019 and the parasite is identified by light-microscope according to standard parasitology methods. Also, relevant data was obtained using a designed questionnaire. Results: The results showed that 181 cases (54.2%) were infected with G. lamblia infection. 57.5% of the infected children were from urban areas, while 42.5% of the cases were from rural areas. The highest incidence of G. lamblia was 60.3% among males compared to 47.5% among females. The results for age, residents and male children aged 8-14 years in both urban and rural areas recorded the highest prevalence of G. lamblia infection while the lowest was among females between 1 and 7 years and 8-14 years old, respectively, in the rural and urban area. Conclusion: In conclusion, as described in this work, multisectoral efforts are needed that include hygiene practices, personal hygiene habits, the provision of safe drinking water and the provision of sanitation systems to efficiently reduce this infection from all governorates of Yemen. Peer Review History: Received 22 May 2020; Revised 14 June; Accepted 3 July, Available online 15 July 2020 UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 6.0/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.5/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Name: Prof. Dr. Hassan A.H. Al-Shamahy Affiliation: Sana'a University, Yemen E-mail: [email protected]   Name: Dr. Mahmoud S. Abdallah Affiliation: University of Sadat city, Egypt E-mail: [email protected]   Comments of reviewer(s): Similar Articles: PREVALENCE OF MALOCCLUSION AMONG YEMENI CHILDREN OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS COCCIDIAN INTESTINAL PARASITES AMONG CHILDREN IN AL-TORBAH CITY IN YEMEN: IN COUNTRY WITH HIGH INCIDENCE OF MALNUTRITION OCCLUSAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PRIMARY DENTITION AMONG A SAMPLE OF YEMENI PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN EVALUATION OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSE TO POLIO VACCINE IN MALNOURISHED CHILDREN IN SANA'A CITY


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Sultész ◽  
Alpár Horváth ◽  
Dávid Molnár ◽  
Gábor Katona ◽  
Györgyi Mezei ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of allergic rhinitis and related comorbidities in school-age children in Budapest, capital of Hungary. Data and epidemiological studies on this disease are still limited. Methods A cross sectional study was conducted in 21 representative and randomly selected primary schools in 2019. International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood-based questionnaires (n = 6869) inquiring about prevalence and related risk factors of allergic rhinitis were distributed to all parents. The data were characterised with standard descriptive statistics: frequencies (percentages) and means for categorical and quantitative data, respectively. Results 3836 of the questionnaires (1857 M/1979F) were completed. The prevalence of current allergic rhinitis was 29.3% (1043), physician-diagnosed allergic rhinitis was 9.7% (373), cumulative allergic rhinitis was 36.2% (1289) and current allergic rhinoconjunctivitis was 16.2% (577). The presence of physician diagnosed atopic disease–asthma (p < 0.0001, OR = 4.398, 95% CI 3.356–5.807), food allergy (p < 0.0001, OR = 2.594, 95% CI 1.995–3.378), and eczema (p < 0.0001, OR = 1.899, 95% CI 1.568–2.300)-were significantly related to an increased risk of cumulative allergic rhinitis. Significant factors associated with allergic rhinitis include male gender (p < 0.0001), family history of atopy (p < 0.0001), frequent upper respiratory tract infections (p < 0.0001), tonsillectomy (p = 0.0054), antibiotics given in the first year of life (p < 0.0001), paracetamol given in the first year of life (p = 0.0038), long-lasting common infections caused by viruses and/or bacteria before the appearance of the allergy (p < 0.0001), consumption of drinks containing preservatives or colourants (p = 0.0023), duration of living in Budapest (p = 0.0386), smoking at home (p = 0.0218), smoking at home in the first year of life (p = 0.0048), birds at home (p = 0.0119), birds at home in the first year of life (p = 0.0052), visible mould in the bedroom (p = 0.0139), featherbedding (p = 0.0126), frequent or constant heavy-vehicle traffic (p = 0.0039), living in a weedy area (p < 0.0001) and living in the vicinity of an air-polluting factory or mine (p = 0.0128). Conclusions The prevalence of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in 6–12-year-old children in Budapest is higher than reported for most of the surrounding European countries. While asthma (OR = 4.398) is the most significant comorbidity, environmental factors such as birds at home in the first year of life (OR = 2.394) and living in a weedy area (OR = 1.640) seem to be the most important factors associated with AR. Strategies for preventive measures should be implemented. Trial registration number: KUT-19/2019. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee at Heim Pál National Pediatric Institute,


Author(s):  
Thandi Kapwata ◽  
Angela Mathee ◽  
Wouter le Roux ◽  
Caradee Wright

Diarrhoeal disease is a significant contributor to child morbidity and mortality, particularly in the developing world. Poor sanitation, a lack of personal hygiene and inadequate water supplies are known risk factors for diarrhoeal disease. Since risk factors may vary by population or setting, we evaluated the prevalence of diarrhoeal disease at the household level using a questionnaire to better understand household-level risk factors for diarrhoea in selected rural areas in South Africa. In a sub-sample of dwellings, we measured the microbial quality of drinking water. One in five households had at least one case of diarrhoea during the previous summer. The most widespread source of drinking water was a stand-pipe (inside yard) (45%) followed by an indoor tap inside the dwelling (29%). Storage of water was common (97%) with around half of households storing water in plastic containers with an opening large enough to fit a hand through. After adjusting for confounders, the occurrence of diarrhoea was statistically significantly associated with sourcing water from an indoor tap (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 2.73, 95% CI: 2.73, 1.14–6.56) and storing cooked/perishable food in non-refrigerated conditions (AOR: 2.17, 95% CI: 2.17, 1.44–3.26). The highest total coliform counts were found in water samples from kitchen containers followed by stand-pipes. Escherichia coli were most often detected in samples from stand-pipes and kitchen containers. One in four households were at risk of exposure to contaminated drinking water, increasing the susceptibility of the study participants to episodes of diarrhoea. It is imperative that water quality meets guideline values and routine monitoring of quality of drinking water is done to minimise diarrhoea risk in relevant rural communities. The security of water supply in rural areas should be addressed as a matter of public health urgency to avoid the need for water storage.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alireza Sanei-Dehkordi ◽  
Moussa Soleimani-Ahmadi ◽  
Mehdi Zare ◽  
Seyed Aghil Jaberhashemi

Abstract Background Scabies is a neglected tropical disease caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei that burrows under the skin. It is a major health problem in tropical areas, largely affecting children. Scabies is common and highly contagious and in schoolchildren spreads quite rapidly, due to overcrowding and close contact within the schools. This study aimed to determine the risk factors associated with scabies infestation among primary schoolchildren in Bashagard County, one of the low socio-economic areas in southeast of Iran. Methods To conduct this community-based, descriptive, and cross-sectional study, four primary schools were randomly selected in the Bashagard County. All students in these schools were selected and examined for scabies. Clinical examination and sociodemographic profile of students were assessed using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Chi-square test, and binary logistic regression were used to analyse the factors associated with scabies infestation by SPSS version 21 software. Results Out of 480 studied schoolchildren, 15 cases of scabies with a prevalence of 3.1 % were observed. The frequency of infestation in males was 1.6 % and it was 4.7 % in females. Independent factors associated with a high risk of scabies infestation in unadjusted analysis were being student of grade 5–6 (cOR = 13.12, 95 % CI 2.92–58.89, p = 0.0001), low educational level of father (cOR = 4.37, 95 % CI 0.97–19.59, p = 0.036), low educational level of mother (cOR = 4.14, 95 % CI 1.92–18.57, p = 0.045), joblessness of father (cOR = 14.77, 95 % CI 4.97–43.89, p = 0.0001), employment of mother (cOR = 5.28, 95 % CI 1.38–20.16, p = 0.007), large family size (cOR = 3.34, 95 % CI 1.05–10.64, p = 0.031), use of shared articles (cOR = 33.37, 95 % CI 10.82–102.90, p = 0.0001), and absence of bathroom in the house (cOR = 11.77, 95 % CI 2.16–63.94, p = 0.0001). Conclusions Results of this study confirmed that scabies is still one of the most important health problems in the primary schools of the Bashagard County. Low socioeconomic status and personal hygiene of the schoolchildren were the most important factors influencing the prevalence of scabies. Improvement of socioeconomic conditions and implementation of appropriate educational programs and active surveillance system to quickly detect and treat scabies cases are necessary in order to reduce the prevalence of scabies in schoolchildren in this area.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alireza Sanei-Dehkordi ◽  
Moussa Soleimani-Ahmadi ◽  
Mehdi Zare ◽  
Seyed Aghil Jaberhashemi

Abstract Background: Scabies is a neglected tropical disease caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei that burrows under the skin. It is a major health problem in tropical areas, largely affecting children. Scabies is common and highly contagious and in schoolchildren spreads quite rapidly, due to overcrowding and close contact within the schools. This study aimed to determine the risk factors associated with scabies infestation among schoolchildren in Bashagard County, one of the low socio-economic areas in southeast of Iran.Methods: To conduct this community-based cross-sectional study, four primary schools were randomly selected in the Bashagard County. In each school all of the students were selected and examined for scabies. Clinical examination and sociodemographic profile of students were assessed using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS.21 software.Results: Out of 480 studied schoolchildren, there were 15 cases of scabies with a prevalence of 3.1%. The frequency of infestation in males was 1.6% and it was 4.7% in females. Independent factors associated with a high risk of scabies infestation in unadjusted analysis were being student of grade 5-6 (OR =13.12, 95% CI 2.92-58.89, p= 0.0001), being older than 10 years (OR =36.07, 95% CI 7.96-163.28, p= 0.0001), low educational level of father (OR =4.37, 95% CI 0.97-19.59, p= 0.036), low educational level of mother (OR =4.14, 95% CI 1.92-18.57, p=0.045), father’s joblessness (OR =14.77, 95% CI 4.97-43.89, p=0.0001), employment of mother (OR =5.28, 95% CI 1.38-20.16, p=0.007), large family size (OR =3.34, 95% CI 1.05-10.64, p=0.031), use of shared articles (OR =33.37, 95% CI 10.82-102.90, p= 0.0001), and absence of bathroom in the house (OR =11.77, 95% CI 2.16-63.94, p= 0.0001). Conclusion: Results of this study confirm that scabies is still one of the most important health problem in the Primary schools of the Bashagard County. Low socioeconomic status and personal hygiene of the schoolchildren were the most important factors significantly influencing the prevalence of scabies. Improvement of socioeconomic conditions and implementation of appropriate educational programs and active surveillance system to quickly detect and treat scabies cases is necessary to reduce the prevalence of scabies in schoolchildren in this area.


2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anish Joshi ◽  
Ranendra Prakash Bahadur Shrestha

BACKGROUND: Diarrhoea is a major health problem among children. It remains a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide, with particularly high morbidity in children younger than 5 years of age. The objective of this study is to determine the frequency and associated risk factors of viral diarrhoea in children less than 5 years of age at Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University Hospital, Nepal and also to study the clinical presentation and the common causes of acute childhood diarrhoea.METHODS: This is a hospital based, prospective, non-interventional study conducted in Dhulikhel hospital. A total of 100 cases attending Dhulikhel hospital between 1st December 2011 to 31st March 2012, presented with acute onset of diarrhoea were enrolled in the study. During the study period the parents were asked to respond to questionnaires regarding their family size, educational status and knowledge of Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), their water source and sanitation, personal hygiene and food habit. The children were examined, assessed for dehydration and anthropometry was also taken. The fresh stool specimens were analysed in the hospital laboratory in order to look for the common pathogens. All the statistical analysis was done using both descriptive and inferential (chi-squared test) statistics with the help of SPSS 20 software.RESULTS: Out of 100 children studied 69% were males and 31% females. Majority of the study population were below 24 months of age (77%). Majority were classified as no dehydration (75%) as per WHO guidelines for assessment of dehydration. The main source of drinking water in the family was tap water (65%), 44% didn’t used any method for water purification and 26% had no habits of hand washing in the family, 89% of the mothers had a good knowledge of ORS.  Majority had no history of fever (64%). 37% of cases needed hospital admission among which 7 cases needed PICU care. Test was positive for Rotavirus in significant number of cases (66%) followed by Adenovirus (13%).CONCLUSIONS: Incidence of Acute diarrhoea is highest below 24 months of age. As the age increases the incidence decreases. Lack of safe drinking water, poor sanitation and poor living conditions are associated risk factors for childhood diarrhoea. Viral diarrhoea is still the most common cause of childhood diarrhoea. Most children are not dehydrated and can be managed using ORS at home or in primary health care centres. We expect that results of the study would be useful initiation of vaccine requirements in a developing country like Nepal.


Author(s):  
Vinod Gupta ◽  
Akhil Gupta ◽  
Sucheta Gupta

Background: H. pylori infections generally occur early in childhood and continue to cause gastric diseases later in life. Epidemiological studies suggest its transmission through fecal to oral and oral to oral routes. Several factors control this transmission including socioeconomic status, quality of drinking water, personal and environmental hygiene, contamination of food, overcrowding and density of population.Methods: A cross-sectional study, involving 100 children aged 1 to 15 years, presenting gastrointestinal complaints was conducted in the department of medicine, district hospital, Udhampur, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India from October 2019 to March 2020. Children with the pathology of central nervous system or with any other known pathology were excluded.Results: Majority of children belonged to the group >6, ≤11 years age (41%), 89% of children were school-going and 78% of participants belonged to the rural areas. Major economic activity of the participants came out to be business and trading (31%), as much as 62% of households were having a size of >4 persons per unit. As many as 24 children were found positive for antigen test upon stool sample examination. The infection rate was significantly higher among children having unsafe source of drinking water (14/24, 58.3%) and poor sanitation facilities (18/24, 66.7%). Overcrowding at home due to bigger household size was found to be a major risk factor among children.Conclusions: The prevalence of H. pylori among children was quite high. Major risk factors included sanitation and drinking water facilities at home and at schools.


Author(s):  
A. Y. Bala ◽  
Salau Shafa’ Atu ◽  
H. M. Bandya ◽  
Mahmuda Aliyu ◽  
J. Suleiman

Urinary schistosomiasis among the primary school children remain among the major public health problems that affect cognitive domain of the pupils.  The present research was conducted to investigate the status and risk factors associated with urinary schistosomiasis among the community primary schools children in Shinkafi local government area of Zamfara State Nigeria. Four risk factors (Haematuria, source of water for domestic used, river visit and purpose of river visit) were considered to be associated with urinary schistosomiasis infection in the study area; four community primary schools were selected, 400 pupils were recruited for this study, each selected student was asked to produce terminal end urine in a screw cap universal sample bottle, the samples were analyzed with combi_10 reagent strips and then examined microscopically after filtration to count the number of Schistosoma eggs/10 mils of urine. One hundred and seventy three 173 pupils were found positive which gave the prevalence of 43.1%, higher significant infections was observed among the pupils that are using river (70.0%) as their source of drinking water; those that visit river (52.5%) and those that said fishing is their purpose of river visit (70.6%). The infection was not significant with regard to presence of haematuria in the urine samples. Pupils who used river as their source of drinking water had more than 2x likelihood of been infected than those that used other source of drinking water, those that visit rivers had more than 14x likelihood of having infection than those whose did not visit river, pupils who visited the river for fishing are 22.60 times likelihood of developing the infection than the pupils who visited the river for some other reasons. Conclusively, source of drinking water, river visit and purpose of river visits are the potential risk factor that increased likelihood of higher infection among the pupils in the study area.


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