AI Article Synopsis

  • Head lice are a significant public health issue, and improper application of pediculicides is a common reason for treatment failure; this study aimed to evaluate how education affects the effectiveness of treatments using 1% permethrin or 4% dimeticone lotion.
  • Conducted with 100 individuals receiving educational interventions and 400 controls, the study used propensity score matching to account for various factors affecting treatment outcomes from April to March 2019.
  • The findings revealed that those who received educational training were about three times more likely to successfully eliminate head lice compared to the control group, highlighting the importance of proper education in treatment effectiveness.

Article Abstract

Background: Head lice are a main public health problem and the most important human ectoparasites and the use of pediculicides is the most common way to control it. One of the possible causes of treatment failure is the lack of improper application of pediculicide. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of education on efficacy of 1% permethrin or 4% dimeticone lotion to treat head lice infestation.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study included 100 individuals with head lice infestation from comprehensive urban health centers in Ardabil as the intervention group, and 400 individuals from East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan provinces as the control group, from April to March 2019. The data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire and an examination recording sheet, which documented the presence of adult lice or nits. Due to the inability to perform random assignment and control for numerous observed covariates, propensity score matching (PSM) was used.

Results: The outcome of treatment included elimination of head lice infestation on is 7, and in the case of recurrence, it was considered on days 14 and 30 after treatment. The results showed that the educational intervention program had a significant positive effect on the efficacy of both treatments. The likelihood of improvement was approximately three times greater in the intervention group compared to the control group.

Conclusion: Participants who received the training intervention (OR = 3.29; CI 95%: 2.21-4.88) were more likely to have a successful treatment than control group. In the case of providing proper training on the use of pediculicides and observing hygiene tips to patients with pediculosis, could help to successful treatment of pediculosis.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10826169PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12879-024-09029-1DOI Listing

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