{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T06:49:23Z","timestamp":1791442163349,"version":"4.3.3"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"Wiley","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790726400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790726400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Medical Vet Entomology"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Head lice infestation (pediculosis capitis) remains a prevalent issue among school\u2010aged children globally, with social and economic consequences that extend beyond the medical domain. This study investigates the prevalence of head lice infestation among Greek children before and during the COVID\u201019 pandemic, examines associated sociodemographic and behavioural factors and explores parental beliefs and treatment practices. A structured online questionnaire capturing self\u2010reported infestation frequency, treatment practices and parental beliefs was completed by 227 parents\/guardians of children attending Greek kindergartens and primary schools. Statistical analyses included Wilcoxon signed\u2010rank tests, chi\u2010square tests and Spearman correlations. Self\u2010reported infestation frequency decreased significantly during the pandemic, consistent with reduced interpersonal contact. Manual removal of lice and children's higher social extroversion showed weak associations with more frequent infestation. Parental adherence to recommended treatment use was generally high, although misconceptions\u2014particularly regarding pet transmission and hygiene\u2014persisted. Although self\u2010reported infestation frequency was not high in most households, parental misconceptions may hinder effective prevention and management. Educational interventions targeting these misconceptions could support more evidence\u2010based responses and reduce the social stigma associated with lice infestation in school communities.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1111\/mve.70120","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T05:30:19Z","timestamp":1790832619000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Head lice among Greek schoolchildren: Prevalence, impact of the\n                    <scp>COVID<\/scp>\n                    \u201019 pandemic and parental beliefs"],"prefix":"10.1111","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5237-2015","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michalis","family":"Linardakis","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preschool Education University of Crete  Rethymno Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2564-5203","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elias","family":"Papadopoulos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine Aristotle University of Thessaloniki  Thessaloniki Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_11_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/s0140-6736(99)09458-1"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-024-19712-2"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-4632.2010.04775.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3201\/eid1409.080368"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10096-012-1575-0"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s13071-025-06825-9"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00436-020-07038-y"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1155\/2023\/8420859"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/ced.15054"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2006-3087"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pedhc.2005.07.002"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_13_1","unstructured":"Linardakis M.&Papadopoulos E.(2026)Dataset: head lice among Greek schoolchildren: prevalence impact of the COVID\u201019 pandemic and parental beliefs. Figshare repository. Available from:https:\/\/doi.org\/10.6084\/m9.figshare.33116405"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.actatropica.2022.106503"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_15_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/ijd.15096"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_16_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm12144819"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_17_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/jme\/tjy026"},{"issue":"5","key":"e_1_2_11_18_1","first-page":"387","article-title":"The importance of socio\u2010economic status and individual characteristics on the prevalence of head lice in schoolchildren","volume":"15","author":"Willems S.","year":"2005","journal-title":"European Journal of Dermatology"}],"container-title":["Medical and Veterinary Entomology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1111\/mve.70120","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1111\/mve.70120","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1111\/mve.70120","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T05:50:50Z","timestamp":1791438650000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/mve.70120"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]]},"references-count":17,"alternative-id":["10.1111\/mve.70120"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/mve.70120","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["0269-283X","1365-2915"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0269-283X","type":"print"},{"value":"1365-2915","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2026-04-16","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-09-23","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-09-30","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"mve.70120"}}