Prevalence and risk factors of intestinal parasites in Cuban children.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasite infections and their risk factors in children in urban and rural settings in two Cuban municipalities.


METHODS
A total of 1320 Cuban schoolchildren aged 4-14 were tested by stool examination for intestinal parasite infections and evaluated by parental questionnaire for a number of common environmental, sanitary, socioeconomic and behavioural risk factors. Multivariate regression was applied to examine the relationship between the respective parasite infections and the risk factors.


RESULTS
Prevalences of intestinal parasite infections were 58% in Fomento and 45% in San Juan y Martínez; for helminth infections, these were 18% and 24% and for protozoa infections, 50% and 29%, respectively. Helminth infections were associated with high parental education (maternal: OR 0.68, CI 0.50-0.93; paternal: OR 0.71, CI 0.52-0.96), absence of toilet (OR 1.57, CI 1.12-2.19), consumption of water from a well or river (OR 0.56, CI 0.41-0.77) and eating unpeeled/unwashed fruit (OR 1.37, CI 1.01-1.87); protozoa infections were only associated with high maternal education (OR 0.72, CI 0.57-0.91).


CONCLUSIONS
Paediatric intestinal parasite infections are still prevalent in certain areas in Cuba and associated with a number of common environmental, socioeconomic and sanitary risk factors.
Wördemann
Meike
M
Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium. mwoerdemann@itg.be
Polman
Katja
K
Menocal Heredia
Lenina T
LT
Diaz
Raquel Junco
RJ
Madurga
Ana-Maria Collado
AM
Núñez Fernández
Fidel A
FA
Cordovi Prado
Raúl A
RA
Espinosa
Aniran Ruiz
AR
Duran
Liliana Pelayo
LP
Gorbea
Mariano Bonet
MB
Rivero
Lázara Rojas
LR
Gryseels
Bruno
B
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003462:Cuba / Q000453:epidemiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000635:transmission; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012499:Sanitation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data