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School performance, nutritional status and trichuriasis in Jamaican schoolchildren
D Simeon1, J Callender, M Wong
1Tropical Metabolism Research Unit, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.
Insights
Trichuris trichiura infections in schoolchildren are linked to lower academic performance and reduced height. Even moderate worm burdens negatively impact learning and physical development.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Diseases
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Trichuris trichiura (whipworm) infections are common geohelminths affecting children globally.
- Severe infections impact young children's growth, but effects of mild to moderate infections on older children are less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between Trichuris trichiura infection intensity and school performance, attendance, and nutritional status in schoolchildren.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 616 schoolchildren.
- Compared infected children with uninfected controls, adjusting for confounding factors like socioeconomic status and Ascaris co-infection.
- Assessed infection intensity using eggs per gram of stool (epg).
Main Results:
- Children with Trichuris infection intensity >4000 epg had significantly lower reading and arithmetic scores compared to uninfected children.
- Children with infection intensity >2000 epg were shorter than uninfected children.
- No significant differences were found in spelling, school attendance, or body mass index.
Conclusions:
- Moderate Trichuris trichiura infections are associated with impaired school achievement and growth in schoolchildren.
- Further treatment trials are necessary to establish a causal relationship.
Abstract:
Severe infections by the geohelminth Trichuris trichiura detrimentally affect young children's growth and development. There is concern that mild to moderate infections may affect older children's school performance and nutritional status. We therefore examined the relationship between varying intensities of infection and school achievement, attendance and nutritional status in 616 schoolchildren. A total of 409 children with Trichuris infection of intensities greater than 1200 eggs per gram of stool (epg) were first identified, then for every 2 infected children in a class, an uninfected child was selected. After controlling for socioeconomic status, gender, age, school and the presence of Ascaris infections, the uninfected children had higher reading and arithmetic scores than children with infections of more than 4000 epg and were taller than those with intensities greater than 2000 epg. However, there were no significant differences in spelling, school attendance and body mass index. Although a treatment trial is needed to determine causation, these results indicate that moderate levels of infection are associated with poor school achievement and growth.