The importance of socio-economic status and individual characteristics on the prevalence of head lice in schoolchildren.

Pediculosis is a common infestation in schoolchildren but little is known about the factors influencing its prevalence. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of head lice in schoolchildren in Ghent and to investigate the independent association between individual characteristics of the child, socio-economic status (SES) of the family and head lice. The prevalence of head lice at baseline and 14 days after treatment advice was determined by the wet combing method in a total of 6,169 schoolchildren age 2.5 to 12 years from Ghent (Belgium). Age, sex, educational level and hair characteristics of the child, SES of the family, and number of children in the family was collected by the school health department. The prevalence of head lice was 8.9%. The only statistically significant factors at the child level are SES, the number of children in the family, hair length and hair colour. Treatment failure was recorded in 41% of the children positive at baseline screening and was significantly related to hair colour and SES. This study demonstrated that the prevalence of head lice is determined by clustering of children rather than by characteristics of the child. The management of head lice should take a community-based approach equally involving families, schools, health care professionals and the government.