HELMINTHIASIS AMONG UNDERNOURISHED PUPILS: BASIS OF AN INTERVENTION PROGRAM Alma M. Corpuz, Cynthia G. Quiambao, Socrates A. Embesan, Ma. Theresa A. Acosta College of Education, Tarlac State University, Republic of the Philippines Abstract. The study focused on performing fecalysis on the stools of undernourished pupils in an elementary school in La Paz, Tarlac, an adopted community of College of Education, Tarlac State University, in AY 2013-2014. Teachers identified 59 malnourished pupils by taking their Body Mass Indices in the school opening. They were subjected to supplemental feeding program which ran for one month. Before the feeding program, pupils were asked to submit stools for helminth analysis. Only (39) pupils submitted their stools. Medical Technologists from the health center and the medical technologist researcher performed Direct Direct Fecal Smear (DFS) analyses. Findings revealed that three (3) or 8 % were negative for helminth ova. Eighteen (18) had ascaris , nine (9) trichuris , 5 (five) with mix trichuris and ascaris, and four (4) with hookworm ova. Findings also revealed pupils had not regularly observed hygiene practices. As to academic performance, majority of the pupils obtained average grades from 75-79%, which is equivalent to an adjectival grade of “developing,” which means, students had not acquired high level of academic competence. Recommendations include mobilizing the teachers to organize a mothers’ club in the school to make them aware of the risk factors of parasitism; and in coordinating closely with the local health unit in deworming and health education on maintaining proper hygiene and sanitation at home. Key Words : Helminthiasis, Risk Factors, Malnourishment, Health Education Program I. INTRODUCTION Parasitism continues to be a public health problem among children worldwide. In fact, El-Sherbini and Abosdera [1] declared that intestinal parasitism is endemic all over the world and is the greatest single agent of health sickness in the globe. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention [2] points to diarrhea, intestinal obstruction, anemia and impaired physical and mental development are the most common signs and symptoms of intestinal parasitism. In the Philippines, Belizario, De Leon, Lumampao, Anastacion, and Tai [3] found 54% prevalence and 23.1% heavy parasitic infection among children in six sentinel provinces and recommended health intervention to the public, which include clean environment, good personal hygiene, and health education in order to address the problem. There are government efforts to curb parasitism. One is through enjoining various sectors to help in health campaigns on personal hygiene and sanitation. The school was identified as one of the key sectors in health promotion and in parasitic control. The participation of schools in health promotion roots to the World Health Organization's Global School Health Initiative, launched in 1995[4]. This aims to mobilize and strengthen health promotion and education activities at the local, national, regional and global levels among the students, school personnel, families and other members of the community by coordination of school. In fact, in the study conducted in Capiz, Philippines [5], school-based treatment was found to be effective. The findings revealed that most parents gave consent for their children to receive treatment at least once and majority of the teachers had positive attitudes toward their role in the program. Belizario et. al (2012) likewise recommended mass treatment integration, environmental sanitation, personal hygiene, and health education to control soil-transmitted helminth infections and their devastating effects as a result of a study they conducted in six (6) sentinel provinces in the Philippines which revealed that the overall cumulative prevalence and proportion of heavy intensity infections were 54% and 23.1% respectively. The College of Education (COED) of Tarlac State University (TSU) heeded the challenge to participate in health promotion. Laungcupang Elementary School was adopted by the college. The school is located in the most depressed locality in Tarlac City, Philippines. In the school opening, teachers reported 59 undernourished pupils and the COED launched a feeding program. Fecalysis was performed on 39 pupils who submitted their stools for helminth analysis before they started the feeding program.