Effect of Education and Regular Examination on the Prevalence of Head Louse Infestations in Adana

ABSTRACT

Objective: The current study provides training to parents and teachers about pediculosis in schools in three villages in Adana to measure their knowledge level by conducting surveys and to determine the prevalence of pediculosis in these foci. Methods: Pre- and post-questionnaires including 30 questions about pediculosis were handed to parents and teachers. The answers were analyzed with the Pearson correlation analysis. Overall, 418 school pupils s were examined for lice. The results of the head louse control were analyzed by the chi-square test and t-test. Results: We observed that the level of awareness increased in parents and teachers. Additionally, the gender of both teachers and parents was determined as the most important factor in increasing this awareness. Because of interventions for the control of head and lice, the prevalence of pediculosis decreased from 15.22% to 1.71%. Conclusion: It is very important that parents and teachers are aware of the health problems related to pediculosis, while regular combing of school children may be essential for the control of this common infestation.