Background and objective: Skin diseases constitute serious public health problems throught the world, especially in children. The aim of the study was to determine the preva-lence of skin diseases in primary school children in Erbil city, and its relation to various socio-demographic factors. Methods: A total of 6915 pupils aged 6-15 years were randomly selected from 32 primary schools using multistage random sampling technique. Data regarding general socio-demographic variables were collected from each student in a specially designed question-naire. Children were clinically examined and the dermatological findings were recorded. Results: The overall prevalence of skin diseases was 40.6%, Infectious dermatoses have the highest prevalence rate (15.27%), followed by eczematous skin diseases (13.13%). The overall prevalence of skin diseases and infectious dermatoses were significantly higher among females, younger age groups and those of low socio-economic status, while eczematous skin diseases were significantly higher among males. Conclusions: Skin conditions are common among school children, which may reflect pre-vailing low socio-economic conditions. Relevant health education programs and preventive measures should be implemented.
Background and objective: Tobacco smoking is a growing public health problem in the developing countries. This study estimates the prevalence of smoking and assesses the socio-demographic correlates of smoking among Hawler Medical University students in Erbil city. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted during March - April 2007 on 600 students in Hawler Medical University. A systematic stratified sampling method was used. A special questionnaire was used. Data on age and sex of the students, name of college, number of cigarette smoked per day, and age of starting smoking were obtained. Results: out of the 587 respondents, 72 students were smokers giving a prevalence rate of 12.3%.The prevalence of smokers were much higher in males than females (23.9% and 1.9%, respectively). The highest rate of smokers was among the age group 24-26 year in both sexes. 50% of students started smoking at the age of 18-22 years. Conclusion: The prevalence of smoking is comparatively higher taking into consideration that the study was conducted on students of medical and allied health sciences and that more than half of students started smoking during study years. The study recommends integrating health awareness programmes about smoking hazards in the medical education curriculum.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.