ABSTRACT

Intestinal parasites are still a major health problem in our country. The aim of this study was the determination of intestinal parasites, physical growth and hygiene behavior of a total of 106 children living in the Mersin City Social Service Child Care Centre and who could participate in this research. A questionnaire form was used to determine the socio-demographic features and hygienic behavior of the children, and their weight and height were measured in order to determine their physical growth. Stool samples taken from children were examined under microscope after being processed with native-Lugol, formol-ether-acetate technique, and the modified Kinyoun’s acid-fast staining method. One or more parasites were found in 43.4% of the children. Giardia intestinalis (17%) was found to be the most common parasite, followed by Entamoeba histolytica plus Entamoeba coli (3.8%), Entamoeba coli (2.8%), Endolimax nana (2.8%), and Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts (2.8%). According to the WHO/NCHS standards, 16.1% of children were found to be short in height, 17% of children were low in weight, and 14.1% of children were very thin. No statistical difference was found between the parasites in children and physical growth, or hygienic behavior (p>0.05).