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CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The City of Dipolog is a third class city and the capital of the province of Zamboanga del
Norte on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. It is now one of the fast growing cities here
in the Philippines. The city had lead into an increase in population in the past few years with an
inhabitants of 120, 460 as of May 1, 2010. This increased of population in the city had also lead
to an increase amount of current garbage disposal per day. The elevation of everything from
population to garbage disposal is quite alarming for these contributes in transmission of
contagious infections, not only in households but also in establishments where most people
encounter every day. It can lead into serious disease outbreaks within the community. Waste
disposal can be a source of infection most especially in the household units. These infected
individuals can easily transmit the infection to anyone around them if there is no proper disposal
of waste. Transmission can happen through the common household utensils and materials (e.g.
disposable spoon, disposable fork, plastic drinking cups, tissues etc.). The primary disposal of
this common household waste is through the use of black plastic garbage bag were segregation
of contagious waste does not mainly apply. Thus the main reason why garbage collectors are
very prone to infections.
A parasitic disease is an infectious disease caused or transmitted by a parasite. Many parasites do
not

cause

diseases.

Parasitic

diseases

can

affect

practically

all

living organisms,

including plants and mammals. Parasites are microorganisms that live off of other organisms, or
hosts, to survive. Some parasites dont affect the host. Others grow, reproduce, or give off toxins

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that make the host sick resulting in a parasitic infection. Parasitic infections are a large problem
in tropical and subtropical regions. Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases caused by a parasite.
Parasitic infections can be spread in a number of ways. They can be spread through contaminated
water, waste, fecal matter, blood, and through food that has been mishandled or undercooked. It
can also be passed through sexual contact. Some infections are from insects that acts as vector, or
carrier, of the disease and transmits it while feeding on the host. Malaria, which is spread by
mosquitos, is one such example. Anyone can get a parasitic infection however, some people are
at greater risk than others. As with other parasitic diseases, roundworm infections are more
common in warm climates than in cooler, temperate areas of the world. Many roundworm
parasitic diseases result from human carelessness and a lack of appropriate personal hygiene and
sanitation measures. Thus, the best solution to the problem rests in preventing these infections
rather than in curing them. Some of the most common parasitic roundworms in humans
are: Enterobius vermicularis, the pinworm that causes enterobiasis; Ascaris lumbridoides, the
large intestinal roundworm that causes ascariasis; Necator and Ancylostoma, two types of
hookworms that cause ancylostomiasis; and Trichuris trichiura, the whipworm that causes
trichuriasis. We also have parasitic protozoa the most common is the Entamoeba histolytica that
can cause amoebic dysentery to infected individuals and Giardia lamblia that can cause
travellers disease.
The maintenance and the sanitation of the city of Dipolog is led by the office of The City
General Services. They are responsible in hiring garbage collectors to collect, segregate, and
transport household and establishments garbage wastes. The possible parasitic infections that the
garbage collectors could possibly acquire in their work are the main concern of this study, with
the risk of developing fatal diseases due to direct exposure to contaminated garbage items during

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segregation and prolonged contact. Garbage collection is considered one of the hazardous job
today because of the danger in the workplace as well as there are countless possible infections
and diseases that could develop, and the adverse effects is directly implied to the people in this
job who are the garbage collectors.
The aim of this study is to identify the common parasitic infection that the garbage
collectors acquire due to the nature of their work, in order to protect other people especially
those who are in vulnerable that are direct contact with them. As a medical technology student, it
is our responsibility in the future in aiming the precise, specific and accurate results in examining
different kinds of bodily fluids such as urine, feces, csf, blood and tissue sample to provide the
right path in the diagnosis of the disease of a patient. But today, it is our duty to conduct this
research study in the awareness on the incidence of parasitic infections among garbage
collectors. This study benefits not only the garbage collectors but also the City General Services
Office, City Health and the general public.

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CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Independent Variable
Type of Gloves that should be Use:

Large Object Puncture Threat

Palm or Full Coverage Puncture

Gloves
Liquid Resistant
Good Grip
Comfortable

Dependent Variable
Levels

Knowledge of the Work Risk

of

Practicing

Proper

washing after Work

Diseases that can be acquired

Importance of Hand washing
Importance of using PPE

1 Never
2 Almost never
3 Occasionally/Sometimes
4 Almost every time
5 Every time

Factors Affecting the Incidence of

Common Intestinal among Garbage
Collectors

Work Place
Personal Hygiene & Proper

Sanitation
Compliance of using PPE
Home Location

Intermediate Variable
Socio Demographic:

Age
Highest Educational Attainment
Economic Status
Home Location

Hand

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The main concept of this study focuses on the factors that affect in the incidence of
common intestinal parasitic diseases among garbage collectors. The above figure shows the
conceptual framework of the study. It consists of the independent variable which contains the
type of gloves that should be used, knowledge of work risk, and the factors that contributes to a
lead in increase of parasitism among garbage collectors. It also had dependent variables which
contains the levels of practicing proper hand washing after work. And lastly, the intermediate
variable, containing the socio demographic profile of the garbage collectors comprises age,
highest educational attainment, economic status, home location.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study aim to answer the research problems stated as follows.
1. What are the profile of respondents in terms of age, highest educational attainment,
economic profile and home location?
2. What are the results of the Direct Fecal Smear examination among garbage
collectors?
3. What are the common parasite seen in the results?
4. Is there a significant difference on the intestinal parasite found?
5. Is there a significant difference in the level of incidence rate of parasitism among
garbage collectors if they all comply with the number 5: every time of the Levels of
Practicing Proper Hand washing after Work?
HYPOTHESIS
Basing on the research problems, the hypothesis below will be tested with a level of
confidence percentage.

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Significant difference in the level of incidence rate of parasitism among garbage collectors if
they all comply with the number 5: every time of the Levels of Practicing Proper Hand washing
after Work.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study aims to help the General Services Office of Dipolog City to become more
aware and sensitive to the need of personal protective equipment among the garbage collectors
for safety and health reasons specifically for parasitic infections. This study provides information
to the General Services Offices of Dipolog City and the Health agencies the current trend and
practices experienced by the garbage collectors in waste management and collection. From this
wider perspective it is deemed that this study can offer significant knowledge on how to create
better techniques for safe and effective garbage collection and to outline what aspects of their job
contribute to parasitic infection among the garbage collectors. Particularly this research is of
meaning and significance to the following:
1. Local Government Unit (LGU) to conceptualize effective strategies to reduce
parasitic infections brought from garbage collection and increase their understanding
on the conditions needed to protect their health and safety. The outcome of this study
will provide a good basis to make policies relative to the support needed by the
garbage collectors to effectively implement existing laws pertaining to personal
protective equipment to allocate funds improving their skills in dealing with health
related issues;
2. City Health of Dipolog City to extend their service evaluating the health status of the
garbage collectors who are at risk of parasitic infections;
3. The garbage collectors for they are the recipient of the programs recommended in
this study;

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4. The researchers who would like to make a sequel of this study. The findings of this
study may serve as baseline data for research studies relative to the factors that
contributes to the incidence of parasitic infections among garbage collectors. From
this study, researchers can get a lot of related literatures and studies personal
protective equipment and its implication to parasitic infections.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This study will be conducted in Dipolog City for a calendar year 2015-2016. The scope
of the study is delimited to the incidence of parasitic infections among the garbage collectors in
the General Services of Dipolog City. Specifically, this study attempts to examine the
demographic profile of the respondents based on age, highest educational attainment including
their lifestyle in sanitation or proper hygiene, location of the area where they live that may relate
with their economic status and factors contributing to the parasitic infections among garbage
collectors which includes their compliance and knowledge in using personal protective
equipment for health safety and its availability, importance of hand washing in their work and
their knowledge of health risk in their work among garbage collector in Dipolog City.

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DEFINITION OF TERMS
Garbage Collector a person employed to cart away household trash or garbage.
Hazards is a situation that poses a level of threat to life, health, property or environment.
Parasite an animal or plant that lives in or on another animal or plant and gets food or
protection from it or person or thing that takes something from someone or something else and
does not do anything to earn it or deserve it.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) refers to protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or
other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearers body from injury. The hazard
addressed by protective equipment including physical, electrical, heat, chemical, biohazards, and
airborne particular matter.