The Role of Health Education in the Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections and Salmonella among Primary School Children in Douala, Littoral Region, Cameroon

Abstract

Mass drug administration is the cornerstone for the control of infection with intestinal parasites, but it does not prevent reinfection and is unlikely to interrupt transmission as a stand-alone intervention. The study, therefore, aimed to determine the role of health education in the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections (IPI) among primary school children in Douala, Cameroon. The study was intervention case-control, and prospective longitudinal, conducted in two primary schools in Douala, Littoral Region, Cameroon. The study population consisted of 300 students for both sexes, enrolled from the 1st and 6th grade. For comparison, we used the independent sample t-test. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 software. The prevalence of IPI has increased significantly (t=-2.606; P=0.01) in GBPS Ndobo (Control) 6 months after the first phase. The prevalence of intestinal parasites decreased significantly (t =4.093; P<0.0001) in GS Nkonjibe (Experimental) after the intervention. A significant difference in the prevalence of salmonella was found in GS Nkonjibe (Experimental arm) after the intervention (t=2.787; P=0.006). Ascaris lumbricoides was found to be predominant parasites to cause parasitic infection in both schools. The decrease in the prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides was observed to be associated (P=0.021) with the intervention in GS Nkonjibe (Experimental). Health education intervention increased school children knowledge of IPI that resulted in the reduction of the prevalence of IPI.