Occurrence of Scabies among Children and Effectiveness of an Awareness Programme on Knowledge and Practice among Mothers of Children in selected slums of Doiwala, Dehradun, Uttarakhand

Abstract

Scabies is a common dermis invasion throughout the world. It is found more in developing countries and spreads very rapidly from one person to another in family members living together, schools and hospitals etc. Scabies is always an active parasite in the human body which is spread by a mite called Sarcoptic. The WHO described scabies as an illness that is affecting people's lifestyles but is a neglected disease. The research was to identify the occurrence rate of childhood scabies and improve the understanding and practices of the mothers of child regarding scabies. An experimental investigation was performed employing one group pre-test & post-test design to assess occurrence of scabies among children and to evaluate the impact of an awareness initiative regarding scabies among mothers of children of slum area of Doiwala. Data were collected by symptoms checklist, knowledge questionnaire and practice checklist. Scabies affected 8% of children aged 1 day to 12 years. Post-test knowledge (20.01±1.9) significantly surpassed pre-test (10.89±2.6) (t=40.21, p<0.05). Post-test practice (16.12±1.6) significantly improved over pre-test (11.07±2.5) (t=26.78, p<0.05). Knowledge and practice correlated moderately positively (0.6).