[Prevalence of infections among children in China from 2016 to 2021: a meta-analysis].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of infections among children in China from 2016 to 2021, so as to provide insights into enterobiasis control and formulation of the enterobiasis control strategy among children.

Methods: Publications pertaining to the prevalence of infections among children were retrieved from Wanfang Data, CNKI, VIP and PubMed databases published from January 2016 to June 2023. Eligible publications were screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the publication bias was evaluated using the assessment tool for prevalence studies proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence-Based Practice Resources in Australia. The study period, study areas, study subjects, sample size and number of infections were extracted from publications, and a pooled analysis was performed using a meta-analysis. A meta-regression analysis was performed with the prevalence of infections as an independent variable, and sample size, source of samples, study area, study method, geographical area and province as dependent variables to identify the source of the study heterogeneity.

Results: A total of 66 studies were included, covering 23 provinces (municipalities, autonomous regions) in China, and with the investigations conducted between 2016 and 2021. Meta-analysis showed that the pooled prevalence of infections was 4.5% [95% confidence interval (): (3.1%, 6.0%)] among children in China from 2016 to 2021, and the annual prevalence was 4.1% [95% : (2.2%, 6.5%)], 4.2% [95% : (2.4%, 6.6%)], 4.2% [95% : (2.2%, 6.8%)], 3.2% [95% : (1.5%, 5.4%)], 2.3% [95% : (0.9%, 4.3%)] and 1.1% [95% : (0.4%, 2.1%)] from 2016 to 2021. The pooled prevalence of infections was 4.9% [95% : (3.4%, 6.8%)] in studies with a sample size of < 5 000 cases, which was higher than that in studies with a sample size of 5 000 cases and higher [2.1%, 95% : (0.2%, 3.6%)], and the pooled prevalence of infections was 5.2% [95% : (2.9%, 8.2%)] among subjects from schools, which was higher than that among subjects from communities [4.2%, 95% : (2.7%, 6.0%)]. The pooled prevalence of infections was 4.4% [95% : (2.8%, 6.2%)] among children included in comprehensive surveillance, which was higher than that among children included in specific surveillance [4.8%, 95% : (2.6%, 7.7%)], and the pooled prevalence of infections was 5.7% [95% : (3.8%, 7.8%)] among children included in county-level surveys, which was higher than that among children included in city-[4.8%, 95% : (2.3%, 8.0%)] and province-level surveys [1.8%, 95% : (0.3%, 4.7%)]. In addition, the pooled prevalence of infections was higher among children in southern China [11.3%, 95% : (7.5%, 15.7%)] than that in central China [5.2%, 95% : (2.8%, 8.2%)], eastern China [5.2%, 95% : (2.8%, 8.2%)] and southwestern China [2.6%, 95% : (1.4%, 4.1%)]. Meta-regression analysis identified geographical area and survey province as factors affecting the study heterogeneity.

Conclusions: Currently, the overall prevalence of infections is moderate among children in China, and the prevalence varies greatly in regions, with a high prevalence rate in southern China and presence of small-scale clusters. Enterobiasis surveillance and health education pertaining to enterobiasis control are required with adaptations to local circumstance to reduce the prevalence of infections among children.