Social Determinants in Health Promotion Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, Faculty of Health, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box: 79145-3838, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
BMC Pediatr. 2021 May 25;21(1):249. doi: 10.1186/s12887-021-02721-0.
Scabies is a neglected tropical disease caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei that burrows under the skin. It is a major health problem in tropical areas, largely affecting children. Scabies is common and highly contagious and in schoolchildren spreads quite rapidly, due to overcrowding and close contact within the schools. This study aimed to determine the risk factors associated with scabies infestation among primary schoolchildren in Bashagard County, one of the low socio-economic areas in southeast of Iran.
To conduct this community-based, descriptive, and cross-sectional study, four primary schools were randomly selected in the Bashagard County. All students in these schools were selected and examined for scabies. Clinical examination and sociodemographic profile of students were assessed using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Chi-square test, and binary logistic regression were used to analyse the factors associated with scabies infestation by SPSS version 21 software.
Out of 480 studied schoolchildren, 15 cases of scabies with a prevalence of 3.1 % were observed. The frequency of infestation in males was 1.6 % and it was 4.7 % in females. Independent factors associated with a high risk of scabies infestation in unadjusted analysis were being student of grade 5-6 (cOR = 13.12, 95 % CI 2.92-58.89, p = 0.0001), low educational level of father (cOR = 4.37, 95 % CI 0.97-19.59, p = 0.036), low educational level of mother (cOR = 4.14, 95 % CI 1.92-18.57, p = 0.045), joblessness of father (cOR = 14.77, 95 % CI 4.97-43.89, p = 0.0001), employment of mother (cOR = 5.28, 95 % CI 1.38-20.16, p = 0.007), large family size (cOR = 3.34, 95 % CI 1.05-10.64, p = 0.031), use of shared articles (cOR = 33.37, 95 % CI 10.82-102.90, p = 0.0001), and absence of bathroom in the house (cOR = 11.77, 95 % CI 2.16-63.94, p = 0.0001).
Results of this study confirmed that scabies is still one of the most important health problems in the primary schools of the Bashagard County. Low socioeconomic status and personal hygiene of the schoolchildren were the most important factors influencing the prevalence of scabies. Improvement of socioeconomic conditions and implementation of appropriate educational programs and active surveillance system to quickly detect and treat scabies cases are necessary in order to reduce the prevalence of scabies in schoolchildren in this area.
疥疮是一种由疥螨引起的被忽视的热带病，它在皮肤下挖掘。它是热带地区的一个主要健康问题，主要影响儿童。疥疮很常见，具有高度传染性，在学校儿童中传播很快，由于学校过度拥挤和密切接触。本研究旨在确定与伊朗东南部一个低社会经济地区 Bashagard 县小学生疥疮感染相关的危险因素。
为了进行这项基于社区的描述性和横断面研究，随机选择了 Bashagard 县的四所小学。对这些学校的所有学生进行疥疮检查。使用预先测试的结构化问卷评估临床检查和学生的社会人口统计学概况。使用 SPSS 版本 21 软件的卡方检验和二元逻辑回归分析与疥疮感染相关的因素。
在所研究的 480 名小学生中，观察到 15 例疥疮，患病率为 3.1%。男性感染率为 1.6%，女性为 4.7%。在未调整分析中，与高风险疥疮感染相关的独立因素是五年级至六年级学生（cOR=13.12，95%CI 2.92-58.89，p=0.0001）、父亲的低教育水平（cOR=4.37，95%CI 0.97-19.59，p=0.036）、母亲的低教育水平（cOR=4.14，95%CI 1.92-18.57，p=0.045）、父亲失业（cOR=14.77，95%CI 4.97-43.89，p=0.0001）、母亲就业（cOR=5.28，95%CI 1.38-20.16，p=0.007）、大家庭规模（cOR=3.34，95%CI 1.05-10.64，p=0.031）、使用共享物品（cOR=33.37，95%CI 10.82-102.90，p=0.0001）和房屋内无浴室（cOR=11.77，95%CI 2.16-63.94，p=0.0001）。
本研究结果证实，疥疮仍然是 Bashagard 县小学最重要的健康问题之一。社会经济地位低和学生个人卫生是影响疥疮流行的最重要因素。为了降低该地区小学生疥疮的发病率，需要改善社会经济条件，实施适当的教育计划和积极的监测系统，以便快速发现和治疗疥疮病例。
