Prevalence and Risk Factors of Helicobacter pylori Infection among Secondary School Adolescents in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria

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dc.contributor.authorIRABOR, Men_US
dc.contributor.authorUGWU, ROen_US
dc.contributor.authorGEORGE, IOen_US
dc.contributor.authorJAJA, TCen_US
dc.date.accessioned2025-08-13T09:08:26Z
dc.date.available2025-08-13T09:08:26Z
dc.date.issued2025-06
dc.description.abstractIntroduction: Helicobacter pylori is an infectious organism affecting man which occurs worldwide, more prevalent in developing countries including Nigeria. It is the most frequent cause of peptic ulcers in children and is linked to the emergence of gastric cancers in adults. H. pylori is usually acquired in childhood and may persistent into adulthood without treatment. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and risk factors of Helicobacter pylori infection among secondary school adolescents in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria Methods: It was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out using 402 adolescents aged 10 to 18 years attending secondary schools in randomly selected two public and twenty-two private schools in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Port Harcourt Metropolis, from May 2021 to July 2021. The adolescents' sociodemographic, household characteristics and hygiene practices were entered into a proforma. Stool antigen test was carried out on each subject’s stool. A mixture of dilution buffer and stool was centrifuged to obtain the supernatant. H. pylori Stool Antigen dipstick was dipped into the supernatant and results read within 5-10 minutes. A colored line shows a positive result when it appears in the test region, but a negative result when it does not. If no line appears in the control region, the test result was interpreted as being invalid. Results: Infection with H. pylori was prevalent in 59.7% of adolescents aged 10 to 18 years. Statistically significant difference was found with increasing age, poor hand washing practice after toilet use and poor hygiene practice in washing of vegetables before eating and lower mother’s education with (p < 0.05). Predictors of H. pylori infection were lower mother’s educational level (OR-1.744, 95%Cl=1.066; 2.853, p=0.027), poor handwashing practices after toilet use (OR-1.668, 95%Cl=1.073; 2.594, p=0.023), and poor hygiene practice in washing of vegetables before consumption (OR-8.781, 95%Cl=1.102; 60.972, p=0.040) respectively. Conclusion: The high prevalence of H. pylori infection could be attributed to the poor hygiene practices of the adolescents and the low educational level of their mothers. There is need to strengthen school health programs through quality health education on good hand hygiene practices and consumption of properly washed vegetables. There should be provision of adequate clean water in schools and improvement in the education of the girl child.en_US
dc.identifier.affiliationsDepartment of Paediatrics, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Rivers State, Nigeriaen_US
dc.identifier.affiliationsDepartment of Paediatrics, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Rivers State, Nigeriaen_US
dc.identifier.affiliationsDepartment of Paediatrics, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Rivers State, Nigeriaen_US
dc.identifier.affiliationsDepartment of Paediatrics, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Rivers State, Nigeriaen_US
dc.identifier.citationIRABOR M, UGWU RO, GEORGE IO, JAJA TC. Prevalence and Risk Factors of Helicobacter pylori Infection among Secondary School Adolescents in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria. International Journal of TROPICAL DISEASE & Health. 2025 Jun; 46(5): 69-80en_US
dc.identifier.issn2278-1005
dc.identifier.placeIndiaen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/251277
dc.languageenen_US
dc.publisherMs. M. B. Mondalen_US
dc.relation.issuenumber5en_US
dc.relation.volume46en_US
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.9734/ijtdh/2025/v46i51659en_US
dc.subjectHelicobacter pylorien_US
dc.subjectinfectionen_US
dc.subjectstool antigen testen_US
dc.subjectadolescentsen_US
dc.titlePrevalence and Risk Factors of Helicobacter pylori Infection among Secondary School Adolescents in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeriaen_US
dc.typeJournal Articleen_US
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