The Correlation Between Worm Infection and Stunting Incidence in The First-Third Grade Students of Pematang Limau Elementary School, Gunung Mas District

Abstract

The highest prevalence of worm infection in Central Kalimantan was in Gunung Mas Regency (76.67%). Elementary school students especially grade I, II, and III were vulnerable to worm infection because they still actively play in the dirt and paid less attention to personal hygiene, thus facilitate the contamination of worm eggs. Prolonged worm infestation causes stunted child growth, leading to stunting. Pematang Limau Elementary School in Pematang Limau Village, Sepang District, Gunung Mas Regency was located in a riverside region, which is a high risk region of worm infection. This research aim to determine the correlation between worm infection and personal hygiene knowledge and stunting incidence in Pematang Limau Elementary School, Sepang, Gunung Mas. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Pematang Limau Elementary School, in Pematang Limau Village, Sepang, Gunung Mas. The samples were Grade I-III students obtained by total sampling. Weight and height measurement, fecal microscopic, and assessment of personal hygiene knowledge were conducted on the students. Out of 47 participants, 3 students had worm infection (6.4%) and 2 students experienced stunting with low personal hygiene knowledge. There was insignificant correlation between worm infection and stunting. There was, however, a correlation between personal hygiene knowledge and stunting incidence in Grade I-III students in Pematang Limau Elementary School.