Prevalence and associated risk factors of intestinal parasites among children of farm workers in the southeastern Anatolian region of Turkey

Objective. To determine the species, prevalence, and associated risk factors of intestinal parasites in farm workers' children in a representative sample in the southeastern Anatolian region of Turkey. Materials and method. A total of 333 farm workers' children, under the age of six years, were selected using the probability sampling method. Mean age of the children was 3.63 +/- 0.5; 55.5% were female. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and laboratory analysis of faecal samples. Results. The overall prevalence was 44.6% and the infected children had single, double, and triple parasitic infections at 72.3%, 23.0%, and 4.7%, respectively. The most common parasite was G. intestinalis (47.97%), followed by E. vermicularis (37.84%), T. saginata (27.03%), H. nana (12.16%), and A. lumbricoides (7.43%), respectively. Age, gender, illiteracy of the households, poverty, absence of toilets, bathrooms, and kitchens at the place of residence, lack of safe potable water, geophagia (soil eating habit), and being a child of a seasonal farmworker were the most significant factors associated with intestinal parasitic infection (P<0.05). G. intestinalis and E. vermicularis were found as the most common parasites that cause salivation, abdominal pain, and tiredness (P<0.05). Conclusion. The study revealed that health education programmes for farm workers and farmers should be improved to increase awareness about living and working conditions, in order to control intestinal parasites. However, early diagnosis and treatment services for intestinal parasites should be provided by primary health care staff in the national child screening programme in agricultural populations.