PREVALENCE OF Pediculus humanus capitis IN NORTHERN JORDAN

Pediculosis caused by Pediculus humanus capitis is a public health problem that mainly affects schoolchildren aged three to 12 years old. Limited knowledge is available about the prevalence of pediculosis among schoolchildren in northern Jordan. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of pediculosis capitis and associated risk factors among primary schoolchildren in northern Jordan. A total of 3038 students from 16 primary governmental schools were screened for head lice using combs and hand magnifiers (20x), in addition to direct inspection. Demographic and socio-economic information and other relevant data were collected using a questionnaire. SPSS was used to analyze collected data. Only 76 students were infested (2.5%), where boys showed lower prevalence (1.9%) than girls (3.1%). The gender, family size and hair length had a significant impact on the rate of infestation (P-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant). Other risk factors that have been studied showed an impact on the prevalence rates but without statistically significant relationships. The low prevalence of pediculosis observed in this study may be associated with improvements in socioeconomic conditions and ongoing public health awareness efforts in Jordan.