Head Lice Infestation According to Demographic - Social factors and It's Prevalence Survey in Southwestern Iran: A Descriptive – Analytical Study

Objectives: The research was designed with following aims.  (a)To study the overall prevalance of pediculosis in people; (b) to study the relationship between age, gender, season, place of residence and pediculosis in humans; Design: Descriptive- Analytical Study  Setting: School of Health,  Ahvaz Jundishapur University of  Medical Sciences, Ahvaz,  Iran Subjects: The present study was conducted in order to determine the epidemiology of Pediculus capitis from 2008 to 2013  in the east area of Ahvaz County, southwestern Iran. After confirming the diagnosis by health personnel, 5446 people were identified as infected with head lice. Intervention: A demographic questionnaire was used in this research to collect data affecting head lice infestation. Main outcome measure: The hair and scalp of each person was examined for lice or nits by a trained examiner under the supervision of the principal investigator. The age, place of residence, month, sex, history on infestation of the host were recorded. The analysis was performed using SPSS version 18. Results: A total of  5446 cases were detected. From these infested people, 72.1% resided in urban areas. The prevalence of head lice was highest (41.2%) in age group of 6-10 years . The majority of cases (49.7%) were detected in winter. Statistically significant relationships were found between head lice infestation, and factors such as  residency status , season and age groups. The prevalence of infestation was significantly higher in girls. Conclusions: Gender, age group , season  and a history of contact with an infested person were the main modifiable risk factors.