Asian Journal of Research in Dermatological Science

Aims: Skin disorders among school children are common and on the increase even though they are preventable and most studies has been hospital based as such captures only severe cases. This study aims at determining the prevalence and pattern of skin disorders among school children in Port-Harcourt, Rivers.

Study Design:  Descriptive cross-sectional design.

Place and Duration of Study: among primary schools in Port-Harcourt (PHALGA), Rivers state, Nigeria between September 2018 and December 2018.

Methodology: Multi-stage sampling technique was used to randomly recruit 351 pupils from primary schools in PHALGA. Data were collected using validated semi-structured self-administered questionnaire. Dermatological diagnosis was made mainly clinically by Dermatologists.

Results: The point prevalence of skin disorders was 58.7% (206/351) with prevalence in Male -102 (61.8%) and Female-104 (55.9%). Pupils with more than one skin lesion were 108 (51.2%); 68(44.5%) and 62(37.9%) complained of itching and rashes respectively. The most and least affected parts were lower limb (32.2%) and face (15.2%) respectively. The aetiological distribution had the fungal lesion (30.1%) as the most common. Others are; auto-immune/miscellaneous skin disorder (18.9%), parasitic (15.1%), inflammatory (12.6%), bacterial (5.8%) and viral (3.9%) as the least cause of skin disorders.

Conclusion: There is high prevalence of skin disorders among school children than what is reported from hospital-based studies. Majority of the skin disorder are preventable and controllable with proper modification of socioeconomic status and hygienic practices. As such, more awareness creation for these factors may help reduce the morbidity resulting from these skin disorders.