Pediculosis capitis (PC) is a plague in schoolchildren around the world, there is a sub-record of cases of this infestation. It is important to expose the lack of studies on the problem, whose presence dates back ancestral times.

Methodology:

The marginality index in four schools is explored, together with the presence of PC in them. Public schools of the municipalities of Zapopan, Tonalá, Tlaquepaque, and Guadalajara, Mexico are studied. It is a descriptive, transversal and comparative research.

Objective:

To identify according to the marginality index if there are differences in the prevalence of PC in schoolchildren of four schools in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

Results:

The sample consisted of 720 schoolchildren. A highest frequency of pediculosis in the female sex was determined, representing 82.35% of the infested students; a global prevalence of 4.72% and a cumulative prevalence of 51.94% was demonstrated, that is, more than half of the students have ever had lice. The presence of these parasites is more common in girls and in long hair. The schools that presented more PC cases are in the medium marginality index.

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