Prevalence of skin disorders among male primary school children in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Objectives: The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of some skin disorders and their relation to age and nationality among male primary school children in the city of Jeddah, Western Region of Saudi Arabia. Design: A stratified random sample technique was used to select the sample schools. A specially designed questionnaire was used to collect the data. Subjects: A total of 2,788 students were examined (2,272 Saudis; and 513 non-Saudis) from 8 primary schools. Results: The overall prevalence of skin disorders was 19.23 per 100 school children. High prevalence rates were for nevi (12.87%), head lice (11.01%), pityriasis alba (7.99%) and alopecia (6.09%). The prevalence rates for acne vulgaris and warts were almost similar (2.94% and 2.90% respectively). The prevalence rate for atopic eczema was 2.12%. The prevalence rates for tinea capitis, and tinea versicolor were relatively low (0.25%, 0.82% respectively). Portwine stain hemangioma was spotted among 2 students only, while vitiligo was not found among any of the students. Head lice and pityriasis alba were found more among Saudi children compared to the non-Saudis. Conclusions and recommendations: The prevalence of nevi, alopecia, acne vulgaris, warts and atopic eczema increased significantly with increasing age. Head lice and tinea capitis were significantly more prevalent among younger students. School health departments must be encouraged to further investigate the epidemiological determinants and risk factors among students, in particular the communicable diseases, in order to provide tools for implementing health education programs to control associated health problems among school children.