Soil-Transmitted Helminths and Their Impact on Nutritional and Anaemia Status Among School-Aged Children in Some Schools in Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70882/josrar.2026.v3i5.273Keywords:
Prevalence, School-age-children, Soil-transmitted helminthiases, Thinness, Underweight, WASHAbstract
Malnutrition and anaemia among school-aged children, particularly in developing nations, are serious public health issues linked to soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). This study aimed to investigate STHs and their impact on the nutritional and anaemia status among school-aged children in some schools in Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Nigeria. A cross- sectional study involving 400 randomly selected school-aged children was conducted. All stool samples collected were examined for the presence of STHs using the formal-ether concentration technique. Anthropometric measurements were taken according to World Health Organisation (WHO) standards and haematocrit packed cell volume (PCV), respectively were used to determine the nutritional and anaemia condition of the sampled children. Questionnaire was administered to gather information on socio-demographic factors. The overall prevalence of STHs was 49.0% (196) in which three types of STHs were identified, Ascaris lumbricoides most dominant (50.5%) than hookworm (26.5%) and Trichuris trichiura (5.1%). A statistically significant association was observed between age group (χ² = 9.409, p = 0.009). Residing close to dumpsite, walking barefoot, and playing with sand, were not significantly associated with SHTs(p>0.05). However, washing hands with soap after toilet use was significantly associated with STHs(OR = 0.607, p = 0.017) provides a protective effect against STHs. The BMI for age shown that 26.3% were underweight and 2.8% overweight. Infected children were more anaemic though not statistically significant. Soil-Transmitted Helminthiases remains a public health concern among children and negatively affect children’s nutritional and anaemia status. Therefore, an integrated approach to STH management, nutrition, initiatives, iron supplementation and implementation of WASH are encouraged.
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