Risk factors of intestinal parasitism in children under 7 years of age

Abstract

Introduction: intestinal parasites have been one of the oldest public health problems that have prevailed in underdeveloped countries; they progressively affect children, especially, affecting the most vulnerable population in rural areas. Research is being carried out worldwide, so the WHO estimates that 20–30% of all Latin Americans are infected by intestinal parasites. Objective: identify the risk factors for intestinal parasitosis in children under 7 years of age in the La Colmena, “El Ángel” neighborhood. Method: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out in the La Colmena “el Ángel” neighborhood. The universe was made up of 52 parents and caregivers of children under 7 years of age. To collect data, a survey was applied to From this, data collection was carried out in order to obtain different results in relation to what was described throughout the study. Result: it is observed that 31% of children are 5 years old, 32.6% of children wash their hands only before eating, while 21.1% do it regularly before eating, after eat, when you leave the bathroom and throw away the trash. Conclusions: The study identified as risk factors for developing intestinal parasitism in children under 7 years of age, socioeconomic factors, poor hygiene habits, poor eating practices, poor education of the child's parents and caregivers.