Functional illiteracy burden in soil-transmitted helminth (STH) endemic regions of the Philippines: An ecological study and geographical prediction for 2017.
<h4>Background</h4>Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections remain highly endemic across the Philippines, and are believed to be important contributors to delayed cognitive development of school-aged children. Identification of communities where children are at risk of functional illit...
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doaj-c8eeb713554346e894754f3314118bfa2021-03-03T08:30:00ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases1935-27271935-27352019-06-01136e000749410.1371/journal.pntd.0007494Functional illiteracy burden in soil-transmitted helminth (STH) endemic regions of the Philippines: An ecological study and geographical prediction for 2017.Kei OwadaMark NielsenColleen L LauLaith YakobArchie C A ClementsLydia LeonardoRicardo J Soares Magalhães<h4>Background</h4>Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections remain highly endemic across the Philippines, and are believed to be important contributors to delayed cognitive development of school-aged children. Identification of communities where children are at risk of functional illiteracy is important for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals target for literacy. We aimed to quantify the associations between the spatial variation of STH infections and functional literacy indicators adjusting for other important contributors, and identify priority areas in the Philippines in need of interventions.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>We used data from 11,313 school-aged children on functional literacy indicators collected in 2008. Nested fixed-effects multinomial regression models were built to determine associations between STH endemicity and geographical distribution of functional literacy, adjusting for demographics, household level variables, and the prevalence of malaria. Bayesian multinomial geostatistical models were built to geographically predict the prevalence of each level of functional literacy. The number of school-aged children belonging to each of the functional literacy indicator classes was forecast for 2017. We estimated 4.20% of functional illiteracy burden among school-aged children in Mindanao might be averted by preventing T. trichiura infections. Areas predicted with the highest prevalence of functional illiteracy were observed in localised areas of the eastern region of the Visayas, and the south-eastern portion of Mindanao.<h4>Conclusions/significance</h4>The study demonstrates significant geographical variation in burden of functional illiteracy in school-aged children associated with STH infections suggesting that targeted helminth control could potentially promote the development of cognitive function of school-aged children in the Philippines. The benefits of a spatially targeted strategy should be tested by future studies.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007494 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Kei Owada Mark Nielsen Colleen L Lau Laith Yakob Archie C A Clements Lydia Leonardo Ricardo J Soares Magalhães |
spellingShingle |
Kei Owada Mark Nielsen Colleen L Lau Laith Yakob Archie C A Clements Lydia Leonardo Ricardo J Soares Magalhães Functional illiteracy burden in soil-transmitted helminth (STH) endemic regions of the Philippines: An ecological study and geographical prediction for 2017. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
author_facet |
Kei Owada Mark Nielsen Colleen L Lau Laith Yakob Archie C A Clements Lydia Leonardo Ricardo J Soares Magalhães |
author_sort |
Kei Owada |
title |
Functional illiteracy burden in soil-transmitted helminth (STH) endemic regions of the Philippines: An ecological study and geographical prediction for 2017. |
title_short |
Functional illiteracy burden in soil-transmitted helminth (STH) endemic regions of the Philippines: An ecological study and geographical prediction for 2017. |
title_full |
Functional illiteracy burden in soil-transmitted helminth (STH) endemic regions of the Philippines: An ecological study and geographical prediction for 2017. |
title_fullStr |
Functional illiteracy burden in soil-transmitted helminth (STH) endemic regions of the Philippines: An ecological study and geographical prediction for 2017. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Functional illiteracy burden in soil-transmitted helminth (STH) endemic regions of the Philippines: An ecological study and geographical prediction for 2017. |
title_sort |
functional illiteracy burden in soil-transmitted helminth (sth) endemic regions of the philippines: an ecological study and geographical prediction for 2017. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
series |
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
issn |
1935-2727 1935-2735 |
publishDate |
2019-06-01 |
description |
<h4>Background</h4>Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections remain highly endemic across the Philippines, and are believed to be important contributors to delayed cognitive development of school-aged children. Identification of communities where children are at risk of functional illiteracy is important for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals target for literacy. We aimed to quantify the associations between the spatial variation of STH infections and functional literacy indicators adjusting for other important contributors, and identify priority areas in the Philippines in need of interventions.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>We used data from 11,313 school-aged children on functional literacy indicators collected in 2008. Nested fixed-effects multinomial regression models were built to determine associations between STH endemicity and geographical distribution of functional literacy, adjusting for demographics, household level variables, and the prevalence of malaria. Bayesian multinomial geostatistical models were built to geographically predict the prevalence of each level of functional literacy. The number of school-aged children belonging to each of the functional literacy indicator classes was forecast for 2017. We estimated 4.20% of functional illiteracy burden among school-aged children in Mindanao might be averted by preventing T. trichiura infections. Areas predicted with the highest prevalence of functional illiteracy were observed in localised areas of the eastern region of the Visayas, and the south-eastern portion of Mindanao.<h4>Conclusions/significance</h4>The study demonstrates significant geographical variation in burden of functional illiteracy in school-aged children associated with STH infections suggesting that targeted helminth control could potentially promote the development of cognitive function of school-aged children in the Philippines. The benefits of a spatially targeted strategy should be tested by future studies. |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007494 |
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