Factors Associated with Students’ Participation in Intestinal Parasitic Infection Screening in Nakhon Nayok Province.

Abstract

     This study was survey research aimed to examine factors associated with students’ participation in parasitic infection screening in Nakhon Nayok Province. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 367 students. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, were used to describe the data. Inferential statistics were analyzed using the Chi-square test, and the strength of associations was determined by odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The level of statistical significance was set at 0.05.

     Results: The results revealed that factors significantly associated with participation in parasitic infection screening at the 0.05 level included sex, school location, living arrangement, history of deworming, and attitude. Male students were more likely to participate in parasitic screening than female students (OR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.07–3.89, X² = 4.779, p = 0.029). Students attending schools located in urban areas had higher odds of participating in screening than those in non-urban areas (OR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.04–4.45, X² = 4.463, p = 0.035). Students living with their parents were more likely to participate than those living with relatives (OR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.22–3.99, X² = 7.066, p = 0.008). Students who had never taken deworming medication were more likely to participate in screening than those who had previously taken deworming medication (OR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.19–4.32, X² = 6.363, p = 0.012). In addition, students with a high level of positive attitude toward parasitic disease prevention were more likely to participate in screening than those with a low level of attitude (OR = 2.09, 95% CI: 1.06–4.13, X² = 4.674, p = 0.031).