Risk factors associated with acquiring superficial fungal infections in school children in South Western Nigeria: a comparative study

Introduction: Superficial fungal infections (SFI) are caused mainly by dermatophytes and yeasts. SFI is of major public health concern and is a common cause of skin disease among school children.Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with acquiring superficial fungal infections in school children in Ile-Ife, South West Nigeria as this will assist in instituting appropriate interventions.Methods: A total of 560 children; 280 with superficial fungal infections as subjects and 280 age and sex matched school children as controls were recruited through multistage sampling method from 10 primary schools (private and public owned) in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.Discussion: Pupils were aged 5-16 years with a mean age of 9.42±2.00. Risk factors documented in this study included poor living conditions, use of barbers’ clippers, low socio-economic status, poor hygiene, attendance of public schools and not living with both parents. The last four factors remained significant on binary logistic regression.Conclusion: The study shows that the risk for acquiring superficial fungal infections remains high in school children and in communities with low socio-economic positions.Keywords: Risk factors, school children, skin, superficial fungal infection

Risk factors associated with acquiring superficial fungal infections in school children in South Western Nigeria: a comparative study.

Introduction: Superficial fungal infections (SFI) are caused mainly by dermatophytes and yeasts. SFI is of major public health concern and is a common cause of skin disease among school children. Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with acquiring superficial fungal infections in school children in Ile-Ife, South West Nigeria as this will assist in instituting appropriate interventions. Methods: A total of 560 children; 280 with superficial fungal infections as subjects and 280 age and sex matched school children as controls were recruited through multistage sampling method from 10 primary schools (private and public owned) in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Discussion: Pupils were aged 5-16 years with a mean age of 9.42\ub12.00. Risk factors documented in this study included poor living conditions, use of barbers\u2019 clippers, low socio-economic status, poor hygiene, attendance of public schools and not living with both parents. The last four factors remained significant on binary logistic regression. Conclusion: The study shows that the risk for acquiring superficial fungal infections remains high in school children and in communities with low socio-economic positions

The Prevalence and Pattern of Superficial Fungal Infections among School Children in Ile-Ife, South-Western Nigeria

Fungal infections of the skin and nails are common global problems with attendant morbidity among affected individuals. Children are mostly affected due to predisposing factors such as overcrowding and low socioeconomic factors. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and the clinical patterns of superficial fungal infections among primary school children in Ile-Ife. A multistage sampling was conducted to select eight hundred pupils from ten primary schools in Ile-Ife. Data on epidemiological characteristics and clinical history was collected using a semistructured questionnaire and skin scrapings were done. The prevalence of superficial fungal infections among the 800 respondents was 35.0%. Male pupils constituted 51.0% of respondents while the females were 49.0%. The mean age for all the respondents was 9.42 ± 2.00. Tinea capitis was the commonest infection with a prevalence of 26.9% and tinea unguium, tinea corporis, and tinea faciei had a prevalence of 0.8%, 0.6%, and 0.5%, respectively. Tinea manuum had the least prevalence of 0.1%. Pityriasis versicolor had a prevalence of 4.4%. Microsporum audouinii was the leading organism isolated. The study shows that the prevalence of superficial fungal infection (SFI) among primary school children in Ile-Ife is high with tinea capitis as the commonest SFI