OVCCA Web Application as Supplementary Material to Facilitate Health Literacy Regarding Carcinogenic Human Liver Fluke: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Thailand.

BACKGROUND: Liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini, is associated to cholangiocarcinoma which is found frequently in some areas of Southeast Asian countries particularly in Thailand, Lao People Republic Democratic, Cambodia.  This study sought to investigate the effects of an O. viverrini and cholangiocarcinoma (OVCCA) web application to facilitate health literacy regarding O. viverrini in Northeast Thailand. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial study was performed among an intervention group (n=63) and a control group (n=63) during a one-year period from July 2019 to May 2020. The intervention group received the health literacy promotion program of O. viverrini information through the OVCCA web application for 6 weeks. The control group received an activity package from the public health department. The success of the program was evaluated at week 24 after the groups finished the last activity. ANCOVA, t-test and multiple logistic regression were used for data analysis for both groups. RESULTS: The scores for knowledge; ability to access, understand, appraise, and apply information; motivation for protection; and practice of O. viverrini prevention were significantly higher for the intervention group than for the control group. The results indicated that a health literacy promotion program through an OVCCA web application could be advantageous for preventing and controlling O. viverrini infection. CONCLUSION: This intervention may be used as a potential strategy and guideline for self-care and health promotion in other endemic areas.

Animation as Supplementary Learning Material About Carcinogenic Liver Fluke in Classes for Primary Schoolchildren.

Carcinogenic liver fluke is still an issue of great concern in some countries of Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand, Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and Vietnam. The infection, caused by Opisthorchis viverrini, is associated to cholangiocarcinoma and is endemic among human populations for whom raw fish is frequently consumed. Prevention and health education are required. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of educational intervention to improve knowledge among primary schoolchildren based on animation-assisted education. In this study, 80 participants (40 participants in the experimental group and 40 participants in the comparison group) were selected in 2018. The effectiveness of an interactive animation program in improving the knowledge of students studying liver fluke was determined based on scores on tests given before and immediately after completion of a 4.29-min animated program on the liver fluke life cycle, risk factors, disease, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control. Data were analyzed using SPSS-22 via paired t tests and independent samples t tests at a significance level of 0.05. A marked and significant improvement was observed in the immediate posttest compared with the pretest scores. More importantly, the students who had used the animated program achieved a significantly higher score on the final test than the comparison group. The results offered in the first report show that the use of the animated program facilitated education about liver fluke. It is strongly believed that animations are good supplementary learning materials for students, particularly for learning about serious concepts.

Active screening of gastrointestinal helminth infection in migrant workers in Thailand.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to detect gastrointestinal helminth infection in migrant workers in Thailand. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted in 403 migrant workers in the factories of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, northeastern Thailand during October 2016 to June 2017. Gastrointestinal helminth infections were detected by the formalin ether acetate concentration technique and microscopy. The data were analyzed using the χ2-test and logistic regression. RESULTS: The rate of gastrointestinal helminth infection was 24.07%. The most common species involved in infection was O pisthorchis viverrini (11.91%), followed by hookworm (5.46%), Trichuris trichiura (5.21%), Strongyloides stercoralis (0.5%), Ascaris lumbricoides (0.5%), and Taenia spp. (0.5%). The majority of infections were found in men aged ≥40 years, married participants, uneducated participants, laborers, those who worked for 1 year, and those who had an income of 9000 to 12,000 THB. CONCLUSIONS: Gastrointestinal helminth infection is still found in migrant workers. Therefore, active surveillance is required in this large group for investigating and eradicating this type of infection.

Detection of Opisthorchis viverrini Infection among the ASEAN Population in Thailand Using a Verbal Screening Test and Fecal Concentrator Kit.

BACKGROUND: Opisthorchis viverrini is a serious health problem in Southeast Asia. The infection is associated with cholangiocarcinoma. Therefore, this study was aimed to detect O. viverrini infections among the ASEAN population in Thailand. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 249 individuals from ASEAN populations in Thailand including Thai, Laotian, Cambodian, and Myanmar. Participants were screened using the O. viverrini verbal screening test (OvVST). Fecal samples were processed by the mini-parasep sf parasite fecal concentrator. RESULTS: The infection rate of O. viverrini was 27.21%. The majority of infections was detected in females, in the age group 31-40 yr old, in the primary school education level, and in the occupation of labor. By country, O. viverrini infection was detected more often in the Lao PDR (30.77%). In screening for O. viverrini infection, OvVST had a high sensitivity (93.48%), specificity (86.70%), NPV (98.32%), and accuracy (87.95%). The PPV was 61.43% for OvVTS. The observed agreement was substantial for OvVST (k-value = 0.64). CONCLUSION: O. viverrini infections are still detected in ASEAN countries therefore large scale active surveillance is required. OvVST had a high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for screening the risk groups for O. viverrini.

Detection of Risk Groups for Carcinogenic Liver Fluke Infection by Verbal Screening Questionnaire Using a Mobile Application

The carcinogenic liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini, is a serious health problem in Southeast Asia where infection is associated with cholangiocarcinoma, a major cause of death in Thailand. This cross-sectional study aimed to screen for O. viverrini infection among a Thai rural population of 560 individuals from Nakhon Ratchasima, Khonkaen, and Chaiyaphum provinces with a verbal screening test with a mobile application (OvApp). Faecal samples were also processed with a mini-parasep sf parasite faecal concentrator. The infection rate of O. viverrini was found to be 2.86%. The majority of infections were detected in males aged 41­50, with primary school being their highest education level, and who were engaged in agricultural occupations. In screening for O. viverrini infection, the OvApp had a high sensitivity (87.5%), specificity (94.6%), negative predictive value (98.9%), and accuracy (98.6%). The positive predictive value was 70.0% for the OvApp. The observed agreement was substantial for this application (k-value = 0.64) indicated that it is a potentially useful tool for decreasing the cost of large-scale O. viverrini screening.