Prevalence of head lice and hygiene practices among women over twelve years of age in Sindh, Balochistan, and North West Frontier Province: National Health Survey of Pakistan, 1990-1994

Table 3 Prevalence of head lice¹ among Pakistan women, aged 12 years and older, by personal hygiene practices and use of medication/DDT to control lice; National Health Survey of Pakistan, 1990 - 94 Sindh, Balochistan, and NWFP Provinces.

	Mild	Severe
	Percent (SE)
Variables
Used medication² (n = 2598)
No	6.4(1.3)	0.7(0.2)
Yes	5.9(2.2)	1.5(1.0)
Ever Used DDT (n = 2596) for head lice
No	6.4(1.3)	0.7(0.2)
Yes	6.0(1.4)	1.8(0.8)
Cleaning after using toilet (n = 2601)
Water	6.5(1.4)	0.7(0.2) ±
Stone/clay	6.0(1.9)	1.1(0.6)
Paper/other	7.9(2.8)	-
Clean hands after using toilet (n = 2601)
Soap & water	5.1(1.3)	0.4(0.2)
Water	7.2(2.0)	1.2(0.4)
Do not usually/Stone/ clay/grass/sand/other	10.2(4.6)	1.3(1.0)
Number of baths in summer (per week) (n = 2600)
≥3	5.4(1.1)	0.7(0.2) **
<3	16.2(6.1)	1.8(0.9)
Number of baths in winter (per month) (n = 2599)
≥5	5.0(1.2)	0.3(0.2) *
<5	7.8(1.7)	1.2(0.4)
Where do you bathe? (n = 2600)
Home	6.4(1.2)	0.7(0.2)
Other ³	-	7.6(6.5)
Wear shoes at home (n = 2600)
Always	4.8(0.9)	0.3(0.2) ±
Sometimes	6.2(1.2)	1.2(0.3)
Never	23.6(8.8)	-
Wear shoes outside home (n = 2600)
Always	5.6(0.9)	0.7(0.3) ±
Sometimes	10.9(4.6)	1.4(0.6)
Never	16.2(9.4)	-

1. Head lice is categorized as "None, Mild and Severe infestation"
2. Prescription medication to control body or head lice, during the past 12 months
3. Mosque/Barber's hammam/Canal/Pond/Other
* 0.01 < p-value < 0.05, ** p-value < 0.01 (Rao-Scott likelihood ratio test).
± No test was computed as one cell had zero frequency.

ISSN: 1756-3305