Prevalence of nimer, louse infestation among military education schools in Zarka, Jordan

ABSTRACT

This work aimed to study the prevalence and contributing factors of head lice among military education schoolchildren. To investigate the prevalence, all students [3020] in the military schools in Zarka were screened for head lice infestation. To study the contributing factors, structured questionnaires were filled out by the researchers for 266 students [126 who were infested and the rest were free from head lice]. The overall prevalence of head lice was 4.2% [126 of 3020]. The prevalence of pediculosis captious was significantly higher among secondary schoolchildren aged 15-18 years [5.2%] than primary schoolchildren [3.6%] and among school boys [6.3%] than secondary school girls [3.9%]. The prevalence was influenced by age, sex, family size, house occupancy and father's employment. Head lice can be considered a serious public heath problem among schoolchildren in Jordan. Control measures are badly needed