Kitvatanachai Sirima, Kritsiriwutthinan Kanyanan, Taylor Aree, Rhongbutsri Pochong
Faculty of Medical Technology, Rangsit University, Pathum Thani 12000, Thailand.
Department of Preclinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand.
J Parasitol Res. 2023 Jan 24;2023:8420859. doi: 10.1155/2023/8420859. eCollection 2023.
This is a cross-sectional descriptive survey to determine the prevalence of lice infestation in a pre-high school, Lak Hok subdistrict, Pathum Thani Province, in central part of Thailand. The knowledge, attitudes, and practices of parents/guardians toward head lice in female children during February-April 2020 were evaluated. A total of 83 out of 111 parents (74.8%) agreed to complete consent forms and questionnaires. The prevalence of pediculosis found in this study was 68.7%. The infestation was found in the primary school level (87.5%), which was significantly higher than pre-primary school (29.6%; < 0.05). Itching scalp was revealed in 93.0% of pediculosis. The results showed that occupation, religion, education, and income showed no significant difference between lice infested and non-infested students ( > 0.05). There was no significant association between sex, occupation, religion, education, income, status of parents, and family size among lice infested and non-infested students ( > 0.05). The parents/guardians showed the middle level of knowledge concerning with pediculosis capitis (66.8%). The lack of knowledge leading, first, to the belief that pediculosis does not need any treatment (89.2%), followed by boys getting head lice more frequently than girls (85.5%), and the belief that sharing infested combs, brushes, or hair ribbons does not result in lice transmission (79.9%). More than 75% of the parents/guardians had experienced infestation of head lice and showed themselves willing and able to diagnose and treat their family. However, 50.6% of them did not feel shame when their children were infested with head lice. Children washing their hair by themselves were found to be a significant factor in infestation (88.5%). High rate of pediculosis in this suburban school needs more intensive care by parents/guardians and teachers. Furthermore, improvement strategies to prevent and control lice in the school need to be more specifically planned and scheduled by teachers and health administrators.
这是一项横断面描述性调查，旨在确定泰国中部巴吞他尼府拉克霍克县一所初中的头虱感染率。对2020年2月至4月期间家长/监护人对女童头虱的知识、态度和行为进行了评估。111名家长中有83名（74.8%）同意填写同意书和问卷。本研究中头虱病的患病率为68.7%。在小学阶段发现感染率为87.5%，显著高于学前阶段（29.6%；<0.05）。93.0%的头虱病患者有头皮瘙痒症状。结果显示，职业、宗教、教育程度和收入在感染头虱和未感染头虱的学生之间没有显著差异（>0.05）。在感染头虱和未感染头虱的学生中，性别、职业、宗教、教育程度、收入、父母状况和家庭规模之间没有显著关联（>0.05）。家长/监护人对头虱病的知识水平处于中等（66.8%）。知识缺乏首先导致认为头虱病无需治疗（89.2%），其次是认为男孩比女孩更容易患头虱（85.5%），以及认为共用感染头虱的梳子、刷子或发带不会导致头虱传播（79.9%）。超过75%的家长/监护人曾经历过头虱感染，并表示愿意且能够为家人进行诊断和治疗。然而，当他们的孩子感染头虱时，50.6%的人并不感到羞愧。发现孩子自己洗头是感染的一个重要因素（88.5%）。这所郊区学校的头虱病高发病率需要家长/监护人和教师给予更多关注。此外，教师和卫生管理人员需要更具体地规划和安排学校预防和控制头虱的改进策略。
