THE IMPACT OF INTESTINAL HELMINTHIASIS ON THE Z-SCORE OF SCHOOL CHILDREN IN THE RIVERBANK AREA

Background: Intestinal helminthiasis is a human intestinal worm parasite infection by oral-fecal transmission. The prevalence of helminthiasis across Indonesia in children aged 1-15 years old remains high. It can cause nutritional deficiencies, decreased immunity, and stunted growth and development. The nutritional status parameter in children is the Body Mass Index (BMI) for Age Z-score (BAZ) related to stunting determination. This study aimed to determine the impact of intestinal helminthiasis infection on the z-score of primary school children in riverbank areas. Methods: This study was an analytical survey with a cross-sectional design. The sample obtained by total sampling of the population was 237 students 7 -14 years old, in two primary schools in the East and West Martapura riverbank area. Intestinal helminthiasis was obtained from quantitative helminth egg’s microscopic examination in no preservative feces specimens by the Kato-Katz method as Eggs Per Gram (EPG). BAZ Z-score was determined by calculating the student's weight in kilograms divided by height square in meters as BMI then compared to the BAZ-score table. Results and Discussions: The results showed that 23 respondents (9.7%) found intestinal helminth eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and Hymenolepis nana in their feces with 11.5-115 EPG and 214 respondents (90.3%) were negative (0 EPG). The nutritional status by BAZ-score shows 123 (51.9%), students are in the thinness category, 75 (31.6%) students are normal, 28 (11.8) students are overweight and 11 (4.5%) students are obese. The Spearman correlation test showed there was a significant negative correlation between intestinal helminthiasis and Z-score in primary school children with a p-value of 0.006 (<0.05). Conclusions: Intestinal helminthiasis infection has an impact on the Z-score of primary school children in riverbank areas. Further research is recommended to conduct helminthiasis factors and other parameters of nutritional status. Keywords: Intestinal Helminthiasis, Z-score, School Children, Riverbank Areas.