scholarly journals Correlation between Soil Transmitted Helminth Infection and Eosinophil Levels among Primary School Children in Medan

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dewi Masyithah Darlan ◽  
Zaimah Z. Tala ◽  
Cellya Amanta ◽  
Syah Mirsya Warli ◽  
Nurfida Khairina Arrasyid

BACKGROUND: Soil Transmitted Helminth infection is one of most prevalent health problems worldwide, especially in environments with poor sanitation. Based on World Health Organisation (WHO) data, more than 2 billion people, or 24% of the world's population, are infected with intestinal parasite. The highest prevalence is located in areas of poor sanitation and unsafe water supplies. In Indonesia, the prevalence of parasite infections is 15% of the entire population.AIM: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between Soil Transmitted Helminth infection on levels of eosinophils among primary school children. In addition, this study also aimed to determine the prevalence of different types of worm infections and the levels of eosinophils in children infected with worms.MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was analytic observational using a cross-sectional method. The sampling technique was consecutive and in total 132 samples was obtained. The study involved primary school children in Amplas Medan and Hamparan Perak, Deli Serdang through May to October 2016. Univariate analysis was performed to determine STH infection prevalence and bivariate analysis was used to find the correlation between STH infection and eosinophil levels through a Chi square (X2) test.  RESULTS: The results showed that the prevalence of Soil Transmitted Helminth was 7.6%. The most common types of STH infection were 3.8% with Trichuris trichiura and 3% with Ascaris lumbricoides. A significant correlation was found between Parasite infection and eosinophil levels (Contingency Coefficient (C) = 0.2, X2 = 5.3, p = 0.021) and the risk of STH infection that caused eosinophilia or increased eosinophil levels in the children with a Prevalence Ratio (PR) of 1.56 (Confidence Interval (CI) 95%: 1.10-2.22).CONCLUSION: It is recommended that schools at similar risk improve and maintain hygiene and healthy behaviour in the school environment and that parents and teachers pay greater attention to the cleanliness of their children.

Author(s):  
Farzaneh Montazerifar ◽  
Mansour Karajibani ◽  
Hossnieh Asoudeh ◽  
Mohaddeseh Asoudeh ◽  
Ali Reza Dashipour

Background: Malnutrition, as a serious health problem in children, has an increasing prevalence in the developing countries. This study aimed to evaluate the anthropometric indices of primary school children in Iranshahr, a city in central region of Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 1000 6-14 year-old primary school children studying in 16 public and 5 private schools in Iranshahr city from May to June 2017. The sampling was done using multistage cluster random method. The school records were used to determine the students' ages. Their weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were measured. Anthropometric indices including weight-for-age, height-for-age, and BMI-for-age were assessed using the National Center for Health Statistics/World Health Organization international growth reference and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2000). Results: The rate of thinness was significantly higher in public than private schools (18.1% vs 1%; P < 0.0001). Overweight/obesity was lower in public schools’ children compared to students of the private schools (0.1% vs 9.3%; P = 0.007). The rates of stunting and underweight in public and private schools’ children were 50.2% vs. 53.3% (P = 0.11) and 46.6% vs 35% (P < 0.0001), respectively. Conclusion: Findings showed that although nutritional status was better in private schools than public schools, malnutrition is still a potential public health problem in this area. Therefore, the nutrition interventions are suggested at national and regional levels to increase the parents' awareness.


Author(s):  
Himanshu Shekhar ◽  
Anita Khokhar ◽  
Gul Motwani ◽  
Shailaja Daral

AbstractObjectivesHearing impairment and ear diseases are among the world’s leading causes of years lived with disability. Ear disorders are a major health problem in developing countries like India. The present research had been planned to screen the primary school children for ear morbidity and to study the various factors associated with ear morbidities so that corrective intervention can be initiated at the earliest.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among all primary school children of two schools in Aliganj, Delhi. Complete enumeration of all the school children of these two primary schools was planned for this study. Modified version of World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) “Ten Question Plus” screening instrument was used, followed by Otoscopy examination, in all children for confirmation of ear disease, if any. Descriptive data analysis was performed.ResultsOut of the total 430 study subjects, ear morbidities were found in 198 (46.0%) study participants. Presence of ear morbidity showed significant association with overcrowding, absence of a separate kitchen, passive smoking, feeding young child in lying down position, upper respiratory tract infection (URI)˃3 episodes/year and allergy (p<0.05).ConclusionsThis study has highlighted the need to detect ear diseases at the earliest thereby avoiding complications. The health examination in the schools must include screening students for ear diseases to reduce the burden of hearing disability. Inputs from the study may be used for effective prioritization and planning for prevention and management of ear diseases at the primary school level.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-200
Author(s):  
Iqra Aslam ◽  
Nazia Mumtaz ◽  
Ghulam Saqulain

Background: Communication Disorders are common and affect individual’s abilities to comprehend, detect and use language and speech, with speech sound disorders (SSD) being the most common communication issue of the youth. SSD is a disorder of development with difficulty in articulation and phonology affecting understanding and intelligibility of speech of a child. It affects the scholarly accomplishment in school as well. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of speech sound disorders among primary school going children. Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, recruiting a sample of 377 children through probability sampling technique from May 2018 to December 2018. Students of both genders, aged 4 to 8 years, were enrolled from Government Primary Schools of Mandi Bahauddin District, Punjab Pakistan. Students from private and special schools were excluded. Tool for Assessment of Articulation and Phonology in Urdu (TAAPU) was used to collect data, followed by data analysis using SPSS version 20. Results: Of 377 primary school children, 167(44.3%) were males and 210 (55.7%) were females with a male to female ratio of 1:1.26. Speech Sound Disorder was detected in 5 (1.3%) children, 4 males and only 1 female. Of these 5 cases with SSD, 3 (60%) males suffered from substitution and 1(20%) from omission, while 1 (20%) female child suffered from substitution disorder. Conclusion: The prevalence of Speech Sound Disorders in primary school children is very low being 1.3%, with significantly higher prevalence in males aged 61-72 months. “Substitution” of sounds is more common compared to “omission”.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 533-542
Author(s):  
Gashaw Garedew Woldeamanuel ◽  
Mohammed Derese Biru ◽  
Teshome Gensa Geta ◽  
Birhan Abera Areru

Background: Visual impairment is one of the major public health problems worldwide, especially in developing countries. Objective: To determine the prevalence of visual impairment and its associated factors among school children in Gurage Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in eight primary schools of Gurage Zone. A total of 1064 pupils, of whom589 boys and 475 girls were selected using multistage sampling technique. Socio-demographic characteristics of the participants were collected using structured questionnaires and visual acuity was measured using Snellen’s chart. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the associated factors of visual impairment. Results: The prevalence of visual impairment was 5.2%. Factors significantly associated with visual impairment were age group of 13-18 years (AOR = 9.44, 95% CI = 3.83 – 23.25), school grade level of 5- 8 (AOR = 2.97, 95% CI = 1.23 – 7.17), rural residents (AOR = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.22 – 5.54), family’s monthly income of less than 2000 Ethiopian Birr (AOR = 2.87, 95% CI = 1.08 – 7.61) and visually impaired parents (AOR = 2.16, 95% CI = 1.06 – 4.39). Conclusion: This study found that the prevalence of visual impairment was 5.2%. Keywords: Visual impairment; primary school children; Gurage Zone; Southern Ethiopia. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-21
Author(s):  
Faheem Ullah ◽  
Naheed Mahsood ◽  
Waqas Mohyuddin ◽  
Saadullah Afridi ◽  
Zia Ur Rehman

OBJECTIVES: Refractive errors and strabismus continue to remain a significant public health problem. Among school children it has an impact on child development. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and pattern of refractive error and strabismus among primary school children. METHODOLOGY: It was a cross-sectional study. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select the school children. Data was collected in November-December 2013. Visual impairment was defined as, presenting VA of < 6/12. A total of 2288 children (1746 boys and 542 girls) were screened from 26 randomly selected schools. Stratified sampling technique was used. Data were collected on pre-designed questionnaires and entered and analyzed by SPSS software version 16. RESULTS: The mean age of children was 8.10 + 2.3 years. About 4% children were found visually impaired. The prevalence of refractive error was found to be 5.4%, of which 88.6% was uncorrected refractive error. The prevalence of refractive error was found higher in girls than boys, 6.8% and 5.0% respectively. Among types of refractive error, myopia prevalence was 2.3%, hypermetropia prevalence was 2.0% and astigmatism prevalence was 1.1%. The prevalence of strabismus was 1.3%. Refractive error was found as a main cause of visual impairment in school children. Prevalence of strabismus among this study population is relatively low as compared to the global prevalence of 2% to 5%. CONCLUSION: It is recommended that more study to determine the extent of the problem and possible factors for development of refractive error and strabismus types are needed to mitigate these conditions.


Author(s):  
Sanju Pukhraj Khawa ◽  
Rupinder Deol ◽  
S. Malar Kodi

Background: Childhood plays a crucial role in moulding an individual personality and also helps in preventing various communicable and non-communicable diseases. Poor health among school children mainly results from lack of knowledge and adoption of unhealthy practices. Therefore, they should be taught regarding importance of personal hygiene in order to maintain good health. The present study was designed to assess the knowledge and practices regarding personal hygiene among primary school children in selected schools of Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample size of 150 primary school children in selected schools of Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India. Students were selected using disproportionate stratified random sampling technique over a period of two and a half months. The assent and consent were taken from the children and their mothers. A self-structured questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge and practices regarding personal hygiene among primary school children. The questionnaire focussed on ten different aspects of personal hygiene like brushing of teeth, bathing, hair wash, nail cutting, hand washing, clean clothes, wearing foot wear, and ear, food and water hygiene.Results: The mean age group for children was 10.04±0.904 years. The results showed that girls were more knowledgeable regarding personal hygiene and also practiced better personal hygiene practices as compared to boys. The educational status of mother played a positive factor in improving knowledge and practices regarding personal hygiene.Conclusions: Periodic screening of health problems along with health education should be given to primary school children in order to improve their personal hygiene and thereby leading to a healthy life.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Waheed Atilade Adegbiji ◽  
Abdul Akeem Adebayo Aluko

This study aimed at determining the prevalence, pattern, sociodemographic features and effect on the quality of life of sinonasal diseases among the primary school children. This community-based descriptive cross-sectional study of school children with sinonasal diseases was carried out between October 2017 and March 2018 in Ibadan-Nigeria, using multistage sampling technique. Data was taken using a pretested, interviewers assisted questionnaire and statistically analyzed using SPSS IBM version 23.0. The prevalence of sinonasal diseases was 21.7% (n=964). Age range was 5-13 years; the mean age was 8.5±2.7. There were 52.6% males and male to female ratio was 1:1. Common sinonasal diseases were allergic rhinitis (37.8%), chronic rhinosinusitis (19.6%), nasal trauma (15.3%), acute rhinosinusitis (11.0%) and foreign body impaction (5.74%). Bilateral sinonasal diseases occurred in 82.3%. Right and left sinonasal diseases accounted for 10.0% and 7.7% respectively. Major presenting complaints were rhinorrhea (73.2%), excessive sneezing (36.4%), nasal blockage/stuffiness (32.5%) and itching (29.7%).Associated complications of sinonasal diseases were mainly orbital complications in 30.1%, pharyngitis in 12.9%, pneumonia in 8.6% and otitis media in 6.7%. Commonly affected qualities of life were fatigue (16.3%), sleep disturbance (12.4%), changes in mood (10.5%) and isolation (8.6%). The prevalence of sinonasal diseases in primary school children was 21.7%. At presentation the majority of the pupils had associated complications and affectation of the quality of life.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
pp. e28-e34
Author(s):  
Kevin B. Edem ◽  
Enobong E. Ikpeme ◽  
Mkpouto U. Akpan

AbstractSurveillance of the carrier state for β-hemolytic streptococcal (BHS) throat infections remains essential for disease control. Recent published works from Sub-Saharan Africa have suggested a changing epidemiology in the burden of BHS throat infections. The objective of the present study was therefore to determine the prevalence and pattern of BHS throat carriage in school-aged children in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. This was a prospective cross-sectional study of 276 primary school children in Uyo. Subjects were recruited by multistage random sampling. Obtained throat swabs were cultured on 5% sheep blood agar. Lancefield grouping on positive cultures was done by using the Oxoid Streptococcal Grouping Latex Agglutination Kit, United Kingdom. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done with the disk diffusion method. Associations were tested with Fischer's exact test. The prevalence of BHS carriage was 3.3%. Group C Streptococcus was identified in 89% of isolates and Group G Streptococcus in 11%. Younger age and larger household size were associated with asymptomatic streptococcal throat infections. Antimicrobial susceptibility was highest with cefuroxime and clindamycin (89% of isolates each), while 78% of isolates were susceptible to penicillin. None of the tested isolates was susceptible to co-trimoxazole. The prevalence of streptococcal throat carriage in the study area was low. There were no Group A Streptococcus isolates suggesting an evolving epidemiology of BHS disease in the study area.


Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 223
Author(s):  
Wajiha Anzar ◽  
Ambrina Qureshi ◽  
Ashar Afaq ◽  
Hiba F. Kattan ◽  
Basil Almutairi ◽  
...  

Aim: This study aimed to investigate an association between dental caries status and anthropometric measures in primary school children. Methods and Materials: An analytical cross-sectional study (n = 376) was conducted among primary school children (age range = 6–9 years) registered in private schools. Non-clinical data was gathered from parents of participating children through a self-administered structured questionnaire as well as from the children through an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Clinical data included the examination of dental caries using dmft/DMFT index and anthropometric measures including calculated z-scores of height-for-age (HAZ), weight-for-age (WAZ), BMI-for-age (BAZ), and physical examination. Inferential statistics included Kruskal Wallis and linear regression for univariate and multivariate analysis respectively. Results: The proportion of dental caries in primary and secondary dentition was 67.6% and 8.2% respectively. A significant association was observed between dental caries status and HAZ, WAZ, and BAZ (p < 0.001). An inverse relation was found between low, medium, and high dental caries categories and anthropometric measures. Conclusions: In the primary dentition, dental caries were significantly and inversely related to weight-for-age, height-for-age, and BMI-for-age. Hence, it can be concluded that among the low-income population dental caries is associated with lower anthropometric outcomes in children and therefore caries management should be considered an approach impacting overall health and quality of life.


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