Socioeconomic and parasitological aspects in Quilombola communities in two of the oldest municipalities in Brazil

Abstract

Objective To carry out a socioeconomic, demographic and parasitological evaluation of quilombola communities in two of the oldest municipalities in Brazil.Material and Methods Between December 2015 and June 2016, of the total of 231 residents of the communities, socioeconomic questionnaires were applied and fecal samples collected from 150 individuals were analyzed by spontaneous sedimentation method and the Kato-Katz method.Results It was observed that 95.3% (n=143) of the interviewees had piped water at their residence, and 76% (n=114) came from wells or springs; 85.3% (n=128) reported that the toilet drain was made in a rudimentary septic tank and 59.3% (n=89) reported having litter buried or burned, showing precarious conditions in basic sanitation. Still on socioeconomic aspects, 80.7% (n=121) of the individuals reported having access to the public health service. Parasitological tests were positive for 48% (n=72) of the analyzed samples, and 25% (n=18) had two or more parasites. The most frequent organism in the study population was the commensal Entamoeba coli (55.6%, n=40), followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (19.4%, n=14) and the commensal Endolimax nana (16.7%, n=12). The Poisson regression showed an increase of 1.59 in the prevalence of parasites for individuals who do not have access to the public health service, when compared to those who have access to these services.Conclusions The results indicate the need to implement public health measures in order to reduce, prevent and treat the parasitological condition of the population to obtain better conditions and quality of life.