Skin diseases among schoolchildren in Ghana, Gabon, and Rwanda
- 4 April 2013
- journal article
- community dermatology
- Published by Wiley in International Journal of Dermatology
- Vol. 52 (5), 589-600
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-4632.2012.05822.x
Abstract
Objectives Skin diseases, especially skin infections, among schoolchildren in Africa can be a major health problem. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalences of skin diseases among children in rural and urban schools in three different African countries and to study the influence of socioeconomic level. Methods Cross‐sectional, population‐based studies were performed in Ghana, Gabon, and Rwanda. Point prevalences of skin diseases were estimated on the basis of physical examination by at least one dermatologist. Results A total of 4839 schoolchildren were seen. The overall prevalence of schoolchildren with any skin disease was high and amounted to 34.6% and 42.0% in two Ghanaian studies, 45.8% in Gabon, and 26.7% in Rwanda. In children with skin diseases, skin infections represented the greatest proportion of disease, accounting for 14.7% and 17.6% of skin disease in the Ghanaian studies, and 27.7% and 22.7% in Gabon and Rwanda, respectively. Diseases with the highest prevalence were tinea capitis and bacterial skin infections, especially in rural areas and in schools serving children living at lower socioeconomic levels. Conclusions The prevalences of skin diseases among African schoolchildren were high. Skin infections such as tinea capitis and pyoderma predominated.Keywords
This publication has 48 references indexed in Scilit:
- The spectrum of dermatological disorders among primary school children in Dar es SalaamBMC Public Health, 2010
- Allergic characteristics of urban schoolchildren with atopic eczema in GhanaJournal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2010
- Community dermatology in Debre Markos: an attempt to define children’s dermatological needs in a rural area of EthiopiaInternational Journal of Dermatology, 2010
- Prevalence and risk factors of inflammatory acne vulgaris in rural and urban Ghanaian schoolchildrenBritish Journal of Dermatology, 2009
- Prevalence of skin disorders in school children in southwest NigeriaInternational Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 2009
- One of the greatest of health needs without effective advocacy and shamefully neglected!British Journal of Dermatology, 2008
- Poverty, health and development in dermatologyInternational Journal of Dermatology, 2007
- Caretaking of the skin and leadership in public health: for poverty alleviation dermatology's low technology is neededInternational Journal of Dermatology, 2007
- Prevalence of symptomatic tinea capitis and associated causative organisms in the Greater Accra Region, GhanaBritish Journal of Dermatology, 2006
- Scabies and Pyoderma in Lilongwe, MalawiInternational Journal of Dermatology, 1991