Enteroparasitism among School Children in a Coastal Community of Chorkor, Accra-Ghana: An Urgent Need for Improved Sanitation and Public Health Education

Abstract

Background: Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) among school children are important public health problem, especially in developing countries like Ghana, but information on prevalence in coastal communities remains scanty. Monitoring of IPIs and associated risk factors especially in areas of poor sanitary conditions are necessary for intervention strategies. Aim: The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of IPIs and associated risk factors among school children in the coastal town of Chorkor, Accra Ghana. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from May to September 2022 on 262 schoolchildren selected at Lantemeame-Chorkor. Faecal specimens were examined using saline and iodine wet mount and formal-ether concentration techniques. Sociodemographic data were collected using pre-designed, structured questionnaires. The results were analyzed using SPSS for Windows version 23 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Out of 262 participants, the overall prevalence of IPIs was 19.5% (51/262). The most common intestinal parasite was G. lamblia (5.7%), followed by E. histolytica (3.4%), Taenia solium (3.1%), Ascaris lumbricoides (3.1%), and S. mansoni (1.1%). Dual infection of G. lamblia and E. histolytica occurred in 3 children (1.1%). Prevalence in males (38.7%) was significantly higher than in females (11.8%) (P =0.0001). Children, 5-6 years had highest prevalence (31.3%) followed by 7-8 years (28.2%) and the lowest (8.6%) was in 13 years and above. Children who practiced open defecation, eat food from both street and home, with illiterate mothers, large family size, and rainwater as drinking source all had comparatively high prevalence rates. Also, there were highly significant differences between infected and non-infected children regarding all behavioral and hygienic variables. Conclusion: The present study revealed that IPIs remain a public health problem in the coastal community of Chorkor where sanitation is generally poor. Effective prevention and control strategies are needed to reduce the incidence of IPIs in this area of Accra.