Prevalence and risk factors of Helicobacter pylori infection in Wuwei, a high‐risk area for gastric cancer in northwest China: An all‐ages population‐based cross‐sectional study

Abstract Objective This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of Helicobacter pylori infection across all age groups in Wuwei City, a high‐risk area for gastric cancer in Northwest China. Methods We conducted this study from 2016 to 2017 in an urban and a rural community in Wuwei City. Stool antigen tests targeted individuals aged 0 to 3 years old, and 13 C‐urea breath tests targeted individuals aged above 3 years. We selected participants based on hierarchical cluster sampling. We assessed the association between variables and H . pylori infection based on logistic regression models. Results Ultimately, the results of 2,163 participants (age: 0 to 77 years old) were included (1,238 minors and 925 adults) in the analysis. The overall prevalence of H . pylori infection was 35.6%. It increased with age, reaching the peak in the 30 to 39 age group, and then began to decline. In multivariate analysis, age was positively associated with prevalence of H . pylori infection, and factors negatively associated with the prevalence were drinking running water, the frequency of yoghurt consumption, and an annual household income of Renminbi (¥) 30,000–100,000 or 100,000 above. In the subgroup analyses, however, the same variables associated differently in different age groups. Additionally, we interestingly noticed that boarding, eating at school cafeterias over six times per week, and frequently drinking untreated water were independent predictors of H . pylori infection in junior and senior high school students. Conclusion The prevalence of H . pylori infection is moderate and closely associated with the socioeconomic conditions of Wuwei City, as well as the sanitary situations and dietary habits of the participants in the city. Boarding, eating at school, and drinking untreated water are the main factors explaining the rising infection rate in junior‐senior high school students.