Introduction:

pediculosis capitis (PC) is an ectoparasitosis that affects the skin, scalp and hair, and its etiologic agent is Pediculus humanus capitis. PC mainly affects pediatric population and can have severe psychosocial repercussions. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence and variables associated to PC in schoolchildren attending three primary schools in Caloto, Cauca, Colombia.

Materials and methods:

a cross-sectional study conducted in 279 children (aged 3 to 12) between January and February 2019. A physical examination of the children's heads was performed to identify nymphs and adult lice, and a survey was administered to one of their parents or their legal guardians. A bivariate analysis was carried out using chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests to establish the association between the variables of interest and the presence of PC, calculating the ORs with their respective 95 % confidence intervals (CI) and a statistical significance level of p<0,05.

Results:

the prevalence of PC was 17,56 %. The following variables were significantly associated with the presence of PC: being female, being between 8 and 12 years of age, washing the hair every other day, having long hair, having a history of PC and having scalp pruritus.

Conclusions:

PC remains a health problem in rural schoolchildren. It is necessary to apply prevention and control strategies.

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