Comparative Study of Efficacy of Using Mayonnaise and Hair Shampoo in the Control of Head Lice among Elementary School Students

Abstract

Background and objective: Head lice are expensive and difficult to eradicate, causing much frustration for families, providers, and communities. In order to develop procedures for the care of affected school students with head lice, the researchers (a) assessed the prevalence of head lice infestation rate in primary school students, and the mothers' and teachers' knowledge of head lice infestation and its control measures, and (b) compared the effect of using mayonnaise and hair Shampoo to control head lice among elementary school students. Materials and Methods: An experimental design was used to conduct the study. Ten primary schools in Al Riyadh were identified using the cross-sectional study during 2015 and 2016. Five hundred (500) students, chosen through a multi-stage systematic random sample, participated and were randomly divided into two groups. Mayonnaise and hair Shampoo was applied to the first and second group respectively as a treatment for head lice. For all statistical analyses, SPSS version 20 were used. Results: using Mayonnaise helped in dismissing head lice was faster among all age groups of girls, none of the girls stayed infected beyond 8 and more days. The Total (82.0%) of girls recovered from infection between 6 to 8 days as compared to only (15.2%) as total among the hair Shampoo group with the same age group. Conclusion: The study shed light on the effectiveness of mayonnaise in the obliteration of head lice. Additional studies should be carried out to ensure the success of mayonnaise in overcoming the lice problem.