Cent Eur J Public Health 2023, 31(2):144-150 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a7640

Pediculosis humanus capitis in 6-7 years old schoolchildren in Valencia, Spain

María Morales-Suarez-Varela^{1, 2}, Blanca E. Álvarez-Fernández^{3, 4}, Isabel Peraita-Costa^{1, 2}, Agustín Llopis-Morales¹, M. Adela Valero^{3, 5}

¹ Research Group in Social and Nutritional Epidemiology, Pharmacoepidemiology and Public Health, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Sciences, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Spain

² CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain

³ Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Spain

⁴ Faculty of Chemistry-Biological Sciences, Autonomous University of Guerrero, Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico

⁵ CIBER of Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain

Objectives: Pediculosis humanus capitis is a worldwide public health concern that affects mostly school-aged children. The aim of this study is to determine the rate of pediculosis and to determine possible risk factors in a group of primary school children in Valencia, Spain; 227 children, 6-7 years old, were selected from 7 schools.

Methods: A self-reported questionnaire completed by the parents/guardians about the presence of pediculosis in their children and their knowledge about pediculosis. The results recorded in the questionnaire were analysed by SPSS® software.

Results: 30.4% of the children had pediculosis. The results showed significant variation (p < 0.05) in prevalence depending on the following factors: sex, hair length, level of parental education, family size, presence of affected family member in the home, and frequency of hair washing. Less than half of parents/guardians showed an appropriate level of knowledge on pediculosis. Pediculosis remains a health problem in Valencian schoolchildren. The family size and existence of another member with pediculosis were shown to be the main potentiating factors.

Conclusions: Parents are not sufficiently informed about pediculosis and adopt inappropriate practices. There is a need to promote studies with the objective of determining risk factors for pediculosis as well as the need for actions to increase the knowledge of parents and healthcare professionals on this parasitosis to prevent outbreaks in the community, assure correct treatment and maintain effective epidemiological surveillance.

Keywords: pediculosis humanus capitis, lice, prevalence, children, Spain

Received: October 27, 2022; Revised: March 14, 2023; Accepted: March 14, 2023; Published: June 30, 2023  Show citation