Journal of Nursing & Care

Prevalence of Trachoma and Associated Risk Factors among Yello Elementary School Students, In Loma Woreda, Dawro Zone, Ethiopia, 2015

Abstract

Wosen Admasu, Bekana Fekecha Hurissa and Ayanos Taye Benti

Background: Trachoma is a communicable disease and usually has chronic course. It greatly affects children below age of 10 and especially school and preschool children. It is the leading cause of preventable blindness in developing countries and particularly main cause for blindness in Ethiopia.

Methods: A cross-sectional school based study design was conducted among Yello elementary school students in March 2015. A sample of 267students were involved in the study by stratified sampling technique and finally selected by systematic random sampling. Data collection tool were structured questionnaires and check lists for eye examination. The data were collected by health professionals, then processed and analyzed manually using tally sheet and scientific calculator. Possible associations and statistical significance between and among variables were measured using chi-square test, P value <0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.

Result: From the total of 267 study population, 61(22.85%) of children had signs of trachoma and it was mainly associated to age (X2 = 18.4, P = 0.000) with more prevalence among age group 7-9 (75.38%). Variables such as age, face washing habit, practice of towel usage, eye problem in the family, and site of waste disposal were statistically associated with trachoma at (P= 0.000). More over mothers and fathers literacy status hadn’t contribute to trachoma morbidity with (P = 0.793).

Conclusion: Findings of this study support majority of ideas that are commonly accepted as transmission factors of the disease except some. Trachoma had significant association with age, face washing habit, towel usage practice, history of eye problem in the family and site of waste disposal. Promotion of health information on prevention of trachoma at community and institution level with emphasis for children and women should be given. Early case identification and treatment by health sector and inter-sectional collaboration with others against trachoma is crucial.

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