Nutritional status, hemoglobin level and their associations with soil-transmitted helminth infections between Negritos (indigenous) from the inland jungle village and resettlement at town peripheries.

This study compared the current nutritional status, hemoglobin levels and their associations with soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections between two categories of Negritos (indigenous): (i) Inland Jungle Villages (IJV) (ii) and Resettlement Plan Scheme (RPS) near town peripheries, decades after redevelopment and demarginalization. A total of 416 Negritos (IJV: 149; RPS: 267) was included for nutritional profiling based on anthropometric analysis. However, only 196 (IJV: 64; RPS: 132) individuals consented to blood taking for the hemoglobin (Hb) measurements.

Prevalence, intensity and associated risk factors of soil transmitted helminth infections: A comparison between Negritos (indigenous) in inland jungle and those in resettlement at town peripheries.

Background: Formerly known as the Malaysian hunter gatherers, the Negrito Orang Asli (OA) were heavily dependent on the forest for sustenance and early studies indicated high prevalence of intestinal parasitism. Initiation of a redevelopment program in the 1970s aimed to demarginalize the OA was expected to reduce soil transmitted helminth (STH) infections. Gradually, the OA were relocated to new resettlement areas at the peripheries.