{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,7]],"date-time":"2025-11-07T13:17:18Z","timestamp":1762521438212},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Journal of Infection in Developing Countries","issue":"09","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J Infect Dev Ctries"],"abstract":"<jats:p> Introduction: Head lice infestations are common in sub-Saharan Africa, but knowledge, attitudes and practices have never been studied in this region. Methodology: This population-based study was conducted in a small rural community (population = 590) in Kwara State, Central Nigeria. Inhabitants of the community were interviewed regarding head lice infestations, using a pre-tested structured questionnaire, and examined regarding the presence of active pediculosis. Results: Of the 496 participants included, 367 (74.0%) had experienced head lice infestations, but only 26 (11.1%) of the individuals older than 15 years knew the correct mode of transmission. Of 142 individuals with active pediculosis, only 1 (0.7%) felt ashamed. Treatment was most commonly done by grooming (46.3%), followed by combing (27.2%). Only 4.6% used pediculicides, and 21.8% did not apply any treatment. Opinions about difficulties in controlling head lice were asked in three groups: biological, technical and social. In the first group, the most common difficulty noted was detecting head lice (52.1%), followed by possible resistance that would lengthen the time of infestation (38.9%). Technical constraints included concerns on the safety and effectiveness of products (48.7%) and difficulties in obtaining treatment (46.2%). Social contraints included difficulty in treating children (24.4%), lack of knowledge (23.5%), and the social behavior of children (22.2%). Conclusions: Head lice were not perceived as an important disease in a rural Nigerian community, and feelings about the infestation were mostly indifferent. Despite its common occurrence, knowledge on head lice was limited.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3855\/jidc.1746","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2011,9,15]],"date-time":"2011-09-15T06:56:52Z","timestamp":1316069812000},"page":"652-657","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding head lice infestations in rural Nigeria"],"prefix":"10.3855","volume":"5","author":[{"given":"Jorg","family":"Heukelbach","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Uade Samuel","family":"Ugbomoiko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"2222","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2011,7,12]]},"container-title":["The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/jidc.org\/index.php\/journal\/article\/download\/21918306\/602","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/jidc.org\/index.php\/journal\/article\/download\/21918306\/602","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2019,7,17]],"date-time":"2019-07-17T00:29:23Z","timestamp":1563323363000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/jidc.org\/index.php\/journal\/article\/view\/21918306"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2011,7,12]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"09","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2011,9,14]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3855\/jidc.1746","relation":{},"ISSN":["1972-2680"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1972-2680","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2011,7,12]]}}}