141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

280669
Environmental health in developing countries and the prevalence of parasites in children: A case example of perú

Wednesday, November 6, 2013 : 12:30 PM - 12:50 PM

Eliezer Bermúdez, Ph.D., CP-FS , Department of Applied Health Sciences, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN
Josué I. Carrillo, M.S. , Maestria en Desarrollo Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru
Ana Sabogal, Ph.D. , Maestria en Desarrollo Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru
Ruth Zelada, M.S. , Maestria en Desarrollo Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru
At least one-fourth of the population of Lima, Perú lives in shantytowns, locally known as “pueblos jóvenes.” Many of them lack basic services such as running water, wastewater disposal, adequate housing, solid waste collection, and electricity. This presentation will report the results of a research study conducted in the shantytown “El Trebol” and the Municipality of Pueblo Libre in Lima, Perú. Forty (40) children ages four to eight years old and their families from El Trebol and 40 children ages four to eight years old and their families from Pueblo Libre participated in the study as experimental group and control group, respectively. A questionnaire was used to determine age, gender, family income, living conditions, access to health care, and education level among others. Each group received educational materials about the project and parents signed consent forms. Feces samples were collected from each child and analyzed for parasites by a licensed laboratory. Results showed a great disparity between the experimental group and the control group. Ninety seven percent (97%) of the children from the experimental group tested positive for parasites as compared to 27% in the control group. The odd ratio for parasites among the experimental group as compared to the control group was 102, meaning that the children that live in the shantytown had a 100 times higher risk of being infected with parasites than the children that live in Pueblo Libre. The most common parasites found in the children were: Enterobius vermicularis, Giardia lamblia, Hymenolepis nana, and Ascaris lumbricoides. Additional results and comparisons among both groups will be presented, as well as results from water samples collected in the shantytown. The study concluded that the lack of basic services in the shantytown increases the prevalence and risk for parasites in children.

Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences

Learning Objectives:
Identify some of the major environmental health problems encountered in shantytowns in Perú. Recognize the most common parasites in children that live in Lima, Perú. Describe remediation measures to minimize exposure and decrease the risk of parasites in children in Lima, Perú.

Keywords: Children, Environmental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am an Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN. My research interests include air and water pollution toxicology and food safety. Recently I completed a third visit to Lima, Peru, South America, where I taught a course in Environmental Health for the Master’s Program in Environmental Development at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. I have presented a numerous state, national and international conferences.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.