Making Recommendations in Ecuador

Benson Institute sponsored interns research parasite effects on anemia and health of children in Ecuador.

 

With the help of the Ezra Taft Benson Agriculture and Food Institute, Ecuador natives Patricio Paguay and Carlos Rosero recently carried out studies that could lead to significantly lower rates of anemia among children in their home country. To fulfill his graduation requirements at Northern Technical University in Ibarra, Paguay studied the prevalence of anemia and its causes among children under the age of five in 45 communities in Imbabura, Ecuador. Paguay found that intestinal parasites are a main cause of anemia. Subsequently, Rosero studied causes of these parasites. Based on their studies, both students then made recommendations to improve the situation.

Patricio Paguay undertakes a nutrition survey of children within the Ecuadorian province of Imbabura.

Paguay studied the effects of race, diet, and intestinal parasites on anemia. The iron content of the children’s diet and whether they had intestinal parasites was determined by interviewing their families. The presence of anemia was found by taking blood samples and analyzing the number of red blood cells and the concentration of hemoglobin.

Paguay found that overall, 63 percent of the children under five in Imbabura had anemia. He found that the average intake of iron by the children under five was 95 percent of the recommended value, and that there was a slight relationship between dietary intake of iron and the prevalence of anemia. Blacks had the lowest average daily intake (9 mg/day) and the highest prevalence of anemia (74%), followed by Indians (9.3 mg/day and 63%) and those of mixed blood (10.1 mg/day and 54%). There was a much closer relationship between the presence of intestinal parasites and the prevalence of anemia. A majority of the children with intestinal parasites had anemia, while less than 10 percent of the children without parasites had anemia.

Prevalence of Anemia and Parasites: This chart is a compilation from data collected by Paguay and Rosero on parasite load in the communities.
	Presence of Anemia	Presence of Parasites	No Running Water	Open-Air Sewage Disposal	Open-Air Garbage Disposal
Black	72	84	66	67	62
Indian	63	84	58	28	58
Mixed Blood	54	80	49	16	56

Because of these findings, Paguay recommended that before implementing a supplemental nutrition program, the first focus should be on programs to prevent and eliminate intestinal parasites in children. Rosero’s study took a step in that direction by identifying the extent of the problem of intestinal parasites as well as its main causes. Rosero found that 83 percent of the children in Imbabura, 84 percent of blacks and Indians, and 80 percent of those of mixed blood had parasites.

While checking the prevalence of intestinal parasites, Rosero interviewed his subjects on matters of personal hygiene as well as their source of water and their methods of sewage and garbage disposal. He found that only 12 percent of the children wash their hands before eating, and only 14 percent of the children wash their hands after using the bathroom. Also, a large number of families use untreated water and dispose of garbage and sewage in the open air. The table on the previous page summarizes some of the statistics gathered by Paguay and Rosero.

Because of his findings, Rosero suggested that the most important programs to fight intestinal parasites would be teaching families about how to better eliminate garbage and sewage and how to treat their water. He also recommended an increased role of the Public Health Ministry in implementing programs to rid children of intestinal parasites. The research of Paguay and Rosero has provided a better understanding of the nutritional and health situation of children in Imbabura, Ecuador, which will allow future workers in the area to make good decisions.