The impact of house clustering density on the prevalence and intensity of Soil-Transmitted Helminthes infection in a semi-urban community, southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Background -Large proportion of Soil-Transmitted Helminthes (STH) infection remain in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, China, India and sub-Saharan Africa. The implementation of preventive strategies depends on availability of adequate information on the prevalence of the disease in the community. However, little is known about how house clustering density affects the prevalence and intensity of STH infection. Hence the study was aimed at determining the effect in a semi-urban community in southwest Nigeria. Methods- This is a cross-sectional study of geographically mapped and randomly selected households in Igbo-ora, Ibarapa local government, Oyo State. Demographic, observational risk factors and stool samples were collected from 508 participants. Prevalence of S TH infection was expressed in percentage, and intensity was measured by Egg count Per Gram (EPG). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was calculated using Odds ratio at 95% CI, with significant level at p< 1 -5 year). However, Ascaris lumbricoides prevalence was highest in the two communities representing the low density areas and intensity of infection increased significantly with age. Those that live in high density area are 2.39 more likely to be infected with hookworm infection than those in the low density areas (OR: 2.39, 95% CI (1.23 - 4.63), p4 individuals, predisposes human to STH infection was found (OR: 2.19, 95% CI (0.54 -3.25), p< 0.01) and houses built with mud (OR: 1.67, 95% CI (1.02- 2.74), predisposes to hookworm infection. Interestingly, lack of toilet facility, walking bare-feet, and open defecation did not significantly increase the risk for hookworm infection in this study. Conclusion: The result from this study showed that house structure density and building materials are major contributing risk factors for hookworm infection. Hence the use of mud for building should be discouraged. Intensive health education on how house structure relate to health, with mass deworming programme should be prioritized to achieve a durable reduction of STH infection.