Geographic information system and foldscope technology in detecting intestinal parasitic infections among school children of South India

• Published in: Journal of family medicine and primary care Vol. 9; no. 7; pp. 3623 - 3629
• Main Authors: Kumar, D, Kulkarni, Praveen, Shabadi, Nayanabai, Gopi, Arun, Mohandas, Aparna, Narayana Murthy, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd 01.07.2020; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd; Wolters Kluwer - Medknow; Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
• Subjects: Children; Elementary school students; foldscope; geographic information system; intestinal parasitic infections; Medical research; Original; Parasitic diseases; Prevalence studies (Epidemiology); public health system; school children; stool samples; India; Foldscope; geographic information system; stool samples; public health system; intestinal parasitic infections; school children
• ISSN: 2249-4863; 2278-7135
• DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_568_20

Background: Effective and efficient use of technological advances will ease public health interventions and also help in reaching a larger population. Geographic Information System (GIS) and Foldscope are two such technologies, which have promising utilities in public health. Identifying intestinal parasitic infections early through feasible technologies will help in their effective management. With this objective, this study was conducted to assess the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among school children in southern districts of Karnataka, India. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected 10 urban, 10 rural, and 5 tribal schools of southern districts of Karnataka. A total of 1052 children studying in these schools were selected. Stool samples were collected and examined under Foldscope for parasitic infestation. The schools where children with worm infestations present were plotted in the GIS map. Findings: Among 1052 children included in this study, 139 (13.2%) were found to have an intestinal parasitic infestation. Among these children, 24.6% were in the age group of 5-9 years, 12.2% were males, and 14.4% were females. Urban students had higher odds (2.765) of parasitic infections compared to rural students. Mean age, height, and weight were significantly lesser among subjects with a worm infestation. Interpretation: Utility of Foldscope and GIS was found to be feasible and effective in the detection and mapping of parasitic infestations. The prevalence of parasitic infestation was found to be high among urban school children. Age, weight, height, and urban residence were found to be the major predictors of outcome.