Prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections and associated risk factors among elderly individuals living in rural areas of southern Thailand

Abstract

Background Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection is a neglected tropical disease affecting approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide. In past decades, most studies focused on STH infection in preschool-aged and school-aged children in different regions of Thailand. However, little is known about the prevalence and intensity of STH infection in the elderly population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the current prevalence and intensity of STH infections and to identify associated risk factors among the elderly population. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from July to November 2019 to assess the prevalence of STH infections and associated risk factors among elderly populations living in five subdistricts of Thasala District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand. A total of 439 elderly individuals were selected using a random sampling technique. Each fresh stool sample was examined using the formalin ethyl acetate concentration technique (FECT), Kato-Katz thick smears and agar plate culture (APC). A structured questionnaire was used to obtain relevant information regarding associated risk factors for STH infection. Results The overall prevalence of STH infection was 15.7%. Hookworms (10.9%, 48/439) were the most prevalent STH species, followed by Strongyloides stercoralis (3.4%, 15/439) and Trichuris trichiura (2.1%, 9/439). Most elderly individuals infected with hookworms or T. trichiura had light-intensity infections. A higher prevalence of STH infection was observed among individuals aged older than 80 years (23.4%) than among those aged between 70 and 79 years (15.2%) and 60–69 years (14.5%). Males were 1.85-times more likely to present with STH infections than females. Not washing vegetables before eating increased the risk of STH infection by 3.19 times, while defecation in an open field increased the risk of STH infection by 2.65 times. Conclusions The findings suggested that STH infection is prevalent, and that hookworms are the most common STH species among elderly populations in southern Thailand. Personal hygiene and deworming programs should be implemented among the elderly population to reduce the risk and prevent the spread of STH infections.

Prevalence of Soil-Transmitted Helminthes and Associated Risk Factors Among People of Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The AOR of sex in the current systematic review was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.39-1.37) (7,11,14,21,31,41). This finding was in line with the finding in the Umolante district (Southern Ethiopia) 46 and Jimma town.…”

“…The pooled prevalence estimate of T. trichiura was 7.24% in this study and this is in line with the result in Ejaji 10.0% 12 and the study in Yirgacheffe 7.2%. 40 Nevertheless, the result was greater than the result conducted in rural areas of southern Thailand at 2.1%, 41 in rural western Uganda 0.2%, 42 and Maytsbri 2.2%. 43 On the contrary, the result was lower than the study conducted in South Asia (14%) 8 and Nigeria 31.9%.…”

“…But in this study people who had habits of eating raw, unwashed fruits and vegetables are not significantly associated with STH (Figure 17). The association between fingernail trimming and cleanness habits and STH parasitic infection in the people of Ethiopia was computed from 7 studies (7,8,15,22,29,33,41). The pooled results showed that individuals with poor fingernail trimming and cleanness habits were 1.28 times (95% CI: 0.65-1.91) more likely to be infected with STH parasitic infection than their counterparts (Figure 18).…”

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices regarding Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis among Village Health Volunteers in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…This study was conducted in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. STH infection is endemic to this area, according to old and recent studies and reports [5,8,13,16]. This study aimed to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding soil-transmitted helminthiasis among VHVs.…”

“…Dis. 2022, 7, 33 2 of 15 of southern Thailand have focused on the distribution of intestinal parasites in raw vegetables [12], adults [8], the elderly [13], school-age children [14][15][16], and village health volunteers (VHVs), who act as community health workers in the rural communities of Thailand [5].…”