| tParasitic infections are a serious public health problem because they cause anemia, growth retardation,aggression, weight loss, and other physical and mental health problems, especially in children. Numerousstudies have been performed on intestinal parasitic infections in Iranian preschool and school children.However, no study has gathered and analyzed this information systematically. The aim of this study wasto provide summary estimates for the available data on intestinal parasitic infections in Iranian children.We searched 9 English and Persian databases, unpublished data, abstracts of scientific congresses during1996–2015 using the terms intestinal parasite, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Enterobiusvermicularis, oxyure,school, children, preschool, and Iran. We conducted meta-analysis using STATA, and for all statistical tests,p-value less than 0.05was considered significant. Among the 68,532 publications searched as a result, 103were eligible for inclusion in the study. The prevalence rate of intestinal parasitic infections was 38% (95%CI- 33%, 43%). Prevalence of protozoa, helminthic intestinal infections, and non-pathogenic parasites was16.9%, 9.48%, and 18.5%, respectively, which affected 14.27% males and 15.3% females. The rate of infec-tion in preschool and school children was 38.19% and 43.37% respectively. Giardia, Enterobiusvermicularisand Entamoeba coli were the most common among protozoa, helminthic, and non-pathogenic infec-tions (15.1%, 16.5%, and 7.1%, respectively). The data analyses indicated that the prevalence of intestinalparasitic infection is decreasing in Iranian preschool and school children. Improvement of sanitation, per-sonal hygiene, increased awareness of people, seasonal variations, and health education can be effectivein reducing parasitic infections in different communities. |