Spectrum of Skin Diseases among School Aged Children in Jos North-Central Nigeria

Skin diseases are common causes of morbidity among children in developing Nations. An awareness of the types of skin morbidities seen in school children and the associated factors may enable individuals’ families and government carry out or direct preventive and therapeutic measures appropriately. The aim of this study was to assess the spectrum of skin diseases among primary school children in Jos North Local Government Area. Three hundred and ninety (390) pupils were recruited from some public and private primary schools using multistage sampling technique. Structured Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to obtain information. Key diagnostics features were used for clinical diagnosis of major skin diseases. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 21. There were a total of 199 males and 191 females. Age range was between 6 and 12 years. Prevalence rate of skin disease was 36.2%. A total of 28 different types of skin diseases were seen among the pupils, with infections making up the bulk (47.3%). Among the infections, Tinea (23.9%) was the most prevalent. while dermatitis accounted for 20.7%. There was no sex predilection. Skin diseases were significantly more prevalent in children between 6-7 years ( p-0.014) and associated with lower socioeconomic class (p-0.001) and children from public schools (p-0.000). Preventive and curative health services should be provided in the school health programme especially in public schools for reduction of the prevalence of skin disorders.