Epidemiological profile of intestinal parasitic infections and associated factors in children attending a police outpatient clinic in southern Peru

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Abstract Objective: To determine the prevalence, parasitic diversity, and associated factors of intestinal parasitic infections (IPI) in children aged 0-10 years attending at the PNP Polyclinic in Ica, Peru, comparing urban and rural settings. Methods: An observational, descriptive, analytical, and cross-sectional census study was conducted on 200 children. Three serial stool samples were evaluated using direct examination, spontaneous tube sedimentation, and the Graham’s test. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were applied to estimate prevalence and identify associated factors (aOR; 95% CI). Results: Overall IPI prevalence was 64.50%, with intestinal protists dominating over helminths (40.50% vs. 22.50%). The most frequent species were Giardia lamblia (22.0%), Enterobius vermicularis (16.50%), and Entamoeba coli (11.50%). Infection was significantly higher in rural than urban children (91.40% vs. 58.80%), as was biparasitism (37.10% vs. 6.10%; p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, rural residency remained an independent risk factor (aOR = 10.97; 95% CI: 3.05–39.47; p = 0.030), whereas being aged 6-10 years was protective compared to 0-5 years (aOR = 0.27; 95% CI: 0.14-0.53; p < 0.01). Conclusions: IPIs represent a critical pediatric public health issue in Ica. The high protist burden and rural vulnerability warn of the need to prioritize access to basic sanitation, early diagnosis, and epidemiological surveillance. Keywords: Intestinal parasitic infections; Giardia lamblia; Enterobius vermicularis; intestinal protists; helminths.

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