Abstract

Head lice infection is one of the most common diseases of all ages and has a global spread. The disease is more common in areas with high population density and lack of public health. Population growth and poor health are factors that exacerbate this infestation. It is transmitted through two main mechanisms; direct contact from one host to another, or through objects, of course, the main way of transmission is through head-to-head contact. Studies of children around the world show that the prevalence of head lice infection is less than 10, sometimes as high as 40 or more. According to the World Health Organization, Iran is one of the most infested regions in the world. Due to the fact that the prevalence of pediculosis capitals in primary schools in the county of Karun (southwestern Iran) has not been studied so far and due to the health importance of this disease, the need for this study was felt. For this purpose, a study was conducted to determine the rate of head lice infection in primary school pupils in this county and the factors influencing it in 2017. In this descriptive-analytical study, 751 male and female pupils were examined. Pupils were selected by a stratified cluster random sampling. Using the questionnaire, information about pupils' personal and family characteristics and other related information were completed. The hair on the head, back of the neck, and around the students' ears was examined to find out nits or live lice. Analysis was done by Chi-square I tests using SPSS software, version 18. A P- value of less than 0.05 was considered to be significant. At the time of the study, 217 pupils (28.9) were infested with head lice. The prevalence of infestation in girls (37.6) was significantly higher than in boys (20.3). The rate of nit infestation was 61.3, and in 38.7 of cases both live lice and nits were found. In this study, 37.2 of pupils reported itching in the head and statistically, there was a significant relationship between Pediculosis capitis and itching in the head. Furthermore, this significant relationship was observed between head lice infestation and each of these factors: gender, pupil grade in all schools, grade in all-girls schools, father's educational level and occupation, family size, connection to piped water, presence of a hygienic bathroom at home, number of showers per week, co-sleeping, awareness of head lice infestation, presence of a health educator at school, infestation in the family, previous history of infestation, access to healthcare services, appearance of pupils with respect to hygiene, use of a shared comb, frequency of combing per day, use of a shared towel or of a shared scarf, type, length, density and color of hair, dandruff and head itching. The relatively high prevalence of head lice among students in Karun County requires inter-population cooperation between the Department of Education and health service centers. It seems necessary to teach health education to students in various fields of health, especially personal hygiene in order to physically fight the spread of this infestation.