Prevalence and Risk Assessment of Soil-Transmitted Helminths Among the Rice and Vegetable Farmers of Panay, Capiz,...

Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) remain endemic in the Philippines. Despite efforts through information campaigns and deworming initiatives aimed at reducing worm burdens, these programs predominantly target preschool and school-aged children, along with pregnant and lactating women, leaving much of the population susceptible and at risk of infection.

The study aimed to provide baseline data for adult farmers, which are another group of vulnerable stakeholders in terms of STH infection in rural areas of the Philippines.

The study assessed the health, knowledge, attitudes, and practices of adult farmers, one of the determined at-risk populations by the Department of Health-Philippines, via a validated Likert health, knowledge, attitudes, and practices questionnaire, which was analyzed concerning parasite infection risk or soil-transmitted helminth prevalence with stool samples examined with direct fecal smear and duplicate Kato-Katz thick smear methods.

As determined in the occupationally exposed population, there is an STH prevalence of 15.26%; among the seventeen single-organism infections, Trichuris trichiura had the highest positivity rate (5.93%), followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (4.24%), and Hookworm spp. (4.24%), With only one coinfection between T. trichiura and Hookworm spp. (0.85%). As for factors associated with infection risk, Fisher's exact test of independence identifies the main contributing factors for STH infection risk as the practices of (1) using an unclean source of water, (2) using an unclean toilet, and (3) handling and transportation of animal fecal matter and plant remains.

This study confirms that adult farmers from Panay have a positive prevalence of STH infection, hence a more proactive public health strategy is recommended to be implemented on targeted local health areas of the Philippins.