Sex-Biased Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections and Gender Inequality in Rural Nepal

International Journal of Infectious Diseases

Ughetta Moscardino¹  Alessandra Buja²  Tatjana Baldovin³  Chiara Bertoncello³  Vincenzo Baldo³  Irene Amoruso³  Silvia Cocchio³  Mahendra Maharjan³  Marco Fonzo⁴ 

[1] Corresponding author: University of Padua, DCTV – Hygiene and Public Health Unit, Via L. Loredan 18 – 35131, Padova, Italy.;Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal;Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, Unit of Hygiene and Public Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy;Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padua, Padua, Italy;

关键词: Intestinal parasites;    Nepal;    Gender inequality;    Rural areas;    Spatial epidemiology;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Objectives: Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are related to poverty and socioeconomic disparities. In rural Nepal, IPIs are highly endemic and gender inequality is still deeply rooted. This study provides a novel epidemiological assessment of IPIs in Nepal, juxtaposing spatial, age and sex stratification of prevalence. Methods: A PRISMA and PICO-based systematic review of peer-reviewed and grey literature provided IPI prevalence data for the Nepalese population. Demographic and environmental variables were considered to investigate differences related to dwelling area and sex. Variations among prevalence rates were calculated with 95% CI and significance level for odds ratio evaluated with chi-square test. Results: The IPI prevalence rate for the Nepalese general population was 37.6%. Moreover, IPI prevalence (52.3%) was significantly higher in rural areas than in urban areas (32.4%), and school-age girls (55.2%) were more infected than boys (48.6%). Conclusions: The IPI infection rate appeared to be enhanced among young women living in rural Nepal, where they experienced low school attendance and heavy enrolment in agricultural work, as result of gender discrimination. Plausibly, these dynamics affect both girls’ environmental exposure and fruition of periodic school-based preventive chemotherapy, thus increasing the chances of IPI infection.

【 授权许可】

Unknown