Burden of Giardia duodenalis infection and its adverse effects on growth of schoolchildren in rural Malaysia.
BACKGROUND: Giardia duodenalis infection and malnutrition are still considered as public health problems in many developing countries especially among children in rural communities. This study was carried out among Aboriginal (Orang Asli) primary schoolchildren in rural peninsular Malaysia to invest...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:28aa06a61a0a4f75bfb0c36499e73f2d 2023-05-15T15:15:48+02:00 Burden of Giardia duodenalis infection and its adverse effects on growth of schoolchildren in rural Malaysia. Hesham M Al-Mekhlafi Mohamed T Al-Maktari Rohana Jani Abdulhamid Ahmed Tengku Shahrul Anuar Norhayati Moktar Mohammed A K Mahdy Yvonne A L Lim Rohela Mahmud Johari Surin 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002516 https://doaj.org/article/28aa06a61a0a4f75bfb0c36499e73f2d EN eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3814875?pdf=render https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2727 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2735 1935-2727 1935-2735 doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0002516 https://doaj.org/article/28aa06a61a0a4f75bfb0c36499e73f2d PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 7, Iss 10, p e2516 (2013) Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 article 2013 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002516 2022-12-31T13:43:46Z BACKGROUND: Giardia duodenalis infection and malnutrition are still considered as public health problems in many developing countries especially among children in rural communities. This study was carried out among Aboriginal (Orang Asli) primary schoolchildren in rural peninsular Malaysia to investigate the burden and the effects of Giardia infection on growth (weight and height) of the children. METHODS/FINDINGS: Weight and height of 374 children aged 7-12 years were assessed before and after treatment of Giardia infection. The children were screened for Giardia parasite using trichrome staining technique. Demographic and socioeconomic data were collected via face-to-face interviews using a pre-tested questionnaire. Overall, 22.2% (83/374) of the children were found to be infected with Giardia. Nutritional status of children was assessed and the results showed that the mean weight and height were 23.9 kg (95% CI = 23.3, 24.5) and 126.6 cm (95% CI = 125.6, 127.5), respectively. Overall, the prevalence of severe underweight, stunting and wasting were 28.3%, 23.8% and 21.0%, respectively. Multiple linear regression analyses showed sex, Giardia infection and household monthly income as the significant determinants of weight while sex and level of mother's education were the significant determinants of height. Weight and height were assessed at 3 and 6 months after treatment of Giardia infection. It was found that Giardia infection has a significant association with the weight of children but not with height. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study reveals high prevalence of Giardia infection and malnutrition among Aboriginal children in rural Malaysia and clearly highlights an urgent need to identify integrated measures to control these health problems in the rural communities. Essentially, proper attention should be given to the control of Giardia infection in Aboriginal communities as this constitutes one of the strategies to improve the nutritional status of Aboriginal children. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 7 10 e2516 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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English |
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Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
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Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 Hesham M Al-Mekhlafi Mohamed T Al-Maktari Rohana Jani Abdulhamid Ahmed Tengku Shahrul Anuar Norhayati Moktar Mohammed A K Mahdy Yvonne A L Lim Rohela Mahmud Johari Surin Burden of Giardia duodenalis infection and its adverse effects on growth of schoolchildren in rural Malaysia. |
topic_facet |
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
description |
BACKGROUND: Giardia duodenalis infection and malnutrition are still considered as public health problems in many developing countries especially among children in rural communities. This study was carried out among Aboriginal (Orang Asli) primary schoolchildren in rural peninsular Malaysia to investigate the burden and the effects of Giardia infection on growth (weight and height) of the children. METHODS/FINDINGS: Weight and height of 374 children aged 7-12 years were assessed before and after treatment of Giardia infection. The children were screened for Giardia parasite using trichrome staining technique. Demographic and socioeconomic data were collected via face-to-face interviews using a pre-tested questionnaire. Overall, 22.2% (83/374) of the children were found to be infected with Giardia. Nutritional status of children was assessed and the results showed that the mean weight and height were 23.9 kg (95% CI = 23.3, 24.5) and 126.6 cm (95% CI = 125.6, 127.5), respectively. Overall, the prevalence of severe underweight, stunting and wasting were 28.3%, 23.8% and 21.0%, respectively. Multiple linear regression analyses showed sex, Giardia infection and household monthly income as the significant determinants of weight while sex and level of mother's education were the significant determinants of height. Weight and height were assessed at 3 and 6 months after treatment of Giardia infection. It was found that Giardia infection has a significant association with the weight of children but not with height. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study reveals high prevalence of Giardia infection and malnutrition among Aboriginal children in rural Malaysia and clearly highlights an urgent need to identify integrated measures to control these health problems in the rural communities. Essentially, proper attention should be given to the control of Giardia infection in Aboriginal communities as this constitutes one of the strategies to improve the nutritional status of Aboriginal children. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Hesham M Al-Mekhlafi Mohamed T Al-Maktari Rohana Jani Abdulhamid Ahmed Tengku Shahrul Anuar Norhayati Moktar Mohammed A K Mahdy Yvonne A L Lim Rohela Mahmud Johari Surin |
author_facet |
Hesham M Al-Mekhlafi Mohamed T Al-Maktari Rohana Jani Abdulhamid Ahmed Tengku Shahrul Anuar Norhayati Moktar Mohammed A K Mahdy Yvonne A L Lim Rohela Mahmud Johari Surin |
author_sort |
Hesham M Al-Mekhlafi |
title |
Burden of Giardia duodenalis infection and its adverse effects on growth of schoolchildren in rural Malaysia. |
title_short |
Burden of Giardia duodenalis infection and its adverse effects on growth of schoolchildren in rural Malaysia. |
title_full |
Burden of Giardia duodenalis infection and its adverse effects on growth of schoolchildren in rural Malaysia. |
title_fullStr |
Burden of Giardia duodenalis infection and its adverse effects on growth of schoolchildren in rural Malaysia. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Burden of Giardia duodenalis infection and its adverse effects on growth of schoolchildren in rural Malaysia. |
title_sort |
burden of giardia duodenalis infection and its adverse effects on growth of schoolchildren in rural malaysia. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002516 https://doaj.org/article/28aa06a61a0a4f75bfb0c36499e73f2d |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
op_source |
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 7, Iss 10, p e2516 (2013) |
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http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3814875?pdf=render https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2727 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2735 1935-2727 1935-2735 doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0002516 https://doaj.org/article/28aa06a61a0a4f75bfb0c36499e73f2d |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002516 |
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PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
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10 |
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e2516 |
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