749 Published by Bali Medical Journal | Bali Medical Journal 2021; 10(2): 749-752 | doi: 10.15562/bmj.v10i2.2443 ORIGINAL ARTICLE ABSTRACT The prevalence of parasitic gastrointestinal infection and hygiene knowledge in elementary school children in Boyolali district Lilik Wijayanti 1* , Yulia Sari 2,5 , Siti Marufah 3 , Endang Listyaningsih S 4 , Sri Haryati 5 Introduction: Currently, the integrated data regarding the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections in Central Java is still lacking particularly, the Simo district which considered to have the second lowest percentage of clean and healthy living habits (60.25%) in Boyolali Regency. Therefore, an estimation of the prevalence of intestinal protozoan and helminth infections are crucial in order to formulate a proper community intervention especially in elementary school children in Boyolali. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using total sampling method and involving frst to sixth-grade elementary schoolchildren. Stool specimens were examined using direct, modifed Ziehl–Neelsen and Kato staining methods. All of the data were compiled and analyzed using chi square test. Results: Among 127 participants, 17 students (13.58%) were infected with intestinal protozoans and 13 students (10.24%) were infected with helminth. The age ranged from 6 to 14 years old. The most frequent protozoan parasite detected was B. hominis (11.80%) while the most frequent helminth detected was A. lumbricoides (5.51%). Conclusion: In conclusion, there was a considerable helminth and protozoa infection among students in Simo region. Further and wider studies are needed to confrm these fndings. Keywords: gastrointestinal parasites, elementary school children, helminth, hygiene, protozoa. Cite This Article: Wijayanti, L., Sari, Y., Marufah, S., Listyaningsih, S.E., Haryati, S. 2021. The prevalence of parasitic gastrointestinal infection and hygiene knowledge in elementary school children in Boyolali district. Bali Medical Journal 10(2): 749-752. DOI: 10.15562/bmj.v10i2.2443 1 Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta; 2 Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta; 3 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta; 4 Department of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta; 5 Center of Biotechnology and Biodiversity, Research and Development, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl. Ir. Sutami 36 A Surakarta 57126, Central Java, Indonesia; *Corresponding author: LilikWijayanti; Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta; lilikwijayanti@staf.uns.ac.id Received: 2021-05-23 Accepted: 2021-07-29 Published: 2021-08-15 749 Published by Bali Medical Journal Bali Medical Journal (Bali MedJ) 2021, Volume 10, Number 2: 749-752 P-ISSN.2089-1180, E-ISSN: 2302-2914 Open access: www.balimedicaljournal.org INTRODUCTION It is estimated that more than one third of the world’s population is infected with gastrointestinal tract parasites. 1,2 Among them, 450 million are symptomatic. 3,4 Symptoms ranged from diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, to dehydration. Tese symptoms can have long-term efects in children including decreased cognitive abilities, 5 growth retardation, 6 and poor nutritional status, 4 which if not handled properly will afect the quality of life in adulthood. Te prevalence rate of parasitic gastrointestinal infections in Indonesia varies greatly in each province. 7 For ascariasis, the prevalence rate ranges from as low as 2.5% to 62%. 8 Te cases of ascariasis were dominated by ascariasis and trichuriasis (> 90 million cases) and hookworms (average at 60 million cases). Te prevalence rate of intestinal protozoa infection in Indonesia is also quite high. In rural areas, the incidence of protozoan infection could reach 17.9% for Entamoeba histolytica, 4.5% for Giardia lamblia, and 34.4% for Blastocystis hominis. 9 Tese fgures are derived from separate studies that have not been integrated by the Government of Indonesia. As a result, many areas do not have clear data regarding the number of gastrointestinal parasitic infections. Central Java Province is one of the provinces that still does not have much information regarding gastrointestinal parasitic infections. In the Central Java Provincial Report for Basic Health Research 2018, there were no integrated data showing the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections. 8 Apart from not being integrated, research related to gastrointestinal parasitic infections has not been carried out in many areas in Central Java. One such area is Boyolali Regency. Research on the epidemiology of gastrointestinal parasitic infections is not frequently conducted. Simo District, an area in Boyolali which considered to have the second lowest percentage of clean and healthy behavior (60.25%), still did not have adequate gastrointestinal parasitic infection data. 8 Terefore, this study was aimed to assess the epidemiology of gastrointestinal parasitic infections in this district, especially focusing on school-age children. METHODS Tis research was conducted in three public elementary schools in Simo District, Boyolali Regency, Central Java, namely SDN Wates, SDN Talakbroto 1, and SDN Kedunglengkong 1. Tese schools were selected due to their poor environmental condition such as untiled foor, dirt yard, and most of the parents work as waste