Prevalencia de Enteroparasitosis y factores asociados en niños de las instituciones educativas Oriente Ecuatoriano y República del Ecuador. Guapán - Ecuador. 2024

Abstract

Introduction: Intestinal parasitoses are prevalent diseases among children due to poor sanitation and inadequate hygiene conditions, causing significant morbidity worldwide. It is estimated that 1.5 million children are infected, presenting symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Objective: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with enteroparasitosis in children aged 5-10 years in the educational institutions Oriente Ecuatoriano and República del Ecuador in May 2024. Methodology: A total of 134 children were included, encompassing all students enrolled from the first to the seventh year of basic education. Coproparasitic tests were performed to detect the presence of parasites in fecal samples. The data were analyzed using SPSS, applying frequency tables and chi-square tests with a significance level of p<0.05. Results: Enteroparasitosis was found in 95.7% of the children, with 70.9% of cases being monoparasitosis and 29.1% polyparasitosis. Factors such as not washing hands before meals (32.5% prevalence) and after using the bathroom (42.3% prevalence), not boiling water before drinking it (35.8% prevalence), and living in homes with dirt floors (57.1%) or ceramic floors (46.4%) and adobe walls (50.0%) were significantly associated with the presence of parasites (p<0.05). Conclusions: The need to improve hygiene practices and housing conditions in rural communities to reduce the high burden of enteroparasitosis among children is highlighted. Keywords: intestinal parasitosis, protozoa, diarrhea, food