Sarcouncil Journal of Biomedical Sciences

Abstract: Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections affect over 1.5 billion people globally, primarily in impoverished areas with poor sanitation. These infections cause significant morbidity, including malnutrition, developmental delays, and anemia, particularly in vulnerable groups like children and pregnant women. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and intensity of STH infections and identify associated factors among the Ede people in Ea Phe commune, Krong Pac district, Dak Lak province in 2025. A cross-sectional study used the Kato-Katz thick smear technique for STH diagnosis and a Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) survey to assess related factors. A total of 305 individuals participated in this study. The results showed that the overall prevalence of STH infections among the Ede people in the study area was 29.84% (95% CI = 24.75–35.31). Among these, 25.90% were infected with hookworms, 3.61% with A.lumbricoides, and 2.62% with T.trichiura. The groups more likely to be infected included individuals aged 15 and above (PR = 1.50; 95% CI = 0.98–2.30; p = 0.04), farmers (PR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.28–2.93; p = 0.0008), those unaware of STH prevention methods (PR = 2.08; 95% CI = 1.23–3.51; p = 0.01), individuals not using personal protective equipment during farming (PR = 2.10; 95% CI = 1.23–3.60; p = 0.02), and those not deworming every six months (PR = 2.27; 95% CI = 1.37–3.77; p = 0.003). This study highlights a strong link between STH infection prevalence and age, occupation, preventive knowledge, protective gear use, and regular anthelmintic treatment. These findings are crucial for targeted STH control interventions in this population.