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Owada K, Nielsen M, Lau CL, Yakob L, Clements ACA, Leonardo L, Soares Magalhães RJ. Functional illiteracy burden in soil-transmitted helminth (STH) endemic regions of the Philippines: An ecological study and geographical prediction for 2017. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007494. [PMID: 31226111 PMCID: PMC6588226 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections remain highly endemic across the Philippines, and are believed to be important contributors to delayed cognitive development of school-aged children. Identification of communities where children are at risk of functional illiteracy is important for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals target for literacy. We aimed to quantify the associations between the spatial variation of STH infections and functional literacy indicators adjusting for other important contributors, and identify priority areas in the Philippines in need of interventions. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We used data from 11,313 school-aged children on functional literacy indicators collected in 2008. Nested fixed-effects multinomial regression models were built to determine associations between STH endemicity and geographical distribution of functional literacy, adjusting for demographics, household level variables, and the prevalence of malaria. Bayesian multinomial geostatistical models were built to geographically predict the prevalence of each level of functional literacy. The number of school-aged children belonging to each of the functional literacy indicator classes was forecast for 2017. We estimated 4.20% of functional illiteracy burden among school-aged children in Mindanao might be averted by preventing T. trichiura infections. Areas predicted with the highest prevalence of functional illiteracy were observed in localised areas of the eastern region of the Visayas, and the south-eastern portion of Mindanao. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The study demonstrates significant geographical variation in burden of functional illiteracy in school-aged children associated with STH infections suggesting that targeted helminth control could potentially promote the development of cognitive function of school-aged children in the Philippines. The benefits of a spatially targeted strategy should be tested by future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kei Owada
- School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Children’s Health and Environment Program, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Spatial Epidemiology Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
| | - Mark Nielsen
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa
| | - Colleen L. Lau
- Children’s Health and Environment Program, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Laith Yakob
- Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Archie C. A. Clements
- Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Lydia Leonardo
- Department of Parasitology, College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines
| | - Ricardo J. Soares Magalhães
- Children’s Health and Environment Program, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Spatial Epidemiology Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
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