A study about the general awareness of scabies in a Chinese population

Background: Scabies is a global scourge, but in the developing countries it is such a burden to the health care system that it has been suggested to be a highly neglected tropical disease. Despite the number of treatment options available, scabies continues to occur in epidemics, especially in resource poor communities. Aim: To assess the amount of knowledge that a Chinese population has about scabies. Methods: A questionnaire survey was carried out among individuals attending the Dermatology and Venereology Out-Patient Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University. Descriptive analysis was performed. Total and percentage scores were calculated for each of the participants at the end of assessing each form. Results: Mean percentage knowledge about scabies in the study population was calculated to be 23.88±28.88%. A total of 50% people scored zero in the questionnaire. Only 21 individuals (4.1% of the sample population) had a satisfactory knowledge of 75% and above. Lowest level of knowledge was seen in 15-30 years age group (mean 19.03±26.58%) and 51-70 years age group (mean 20.00±25.20%). Males were slightly more informed (mean 27.22±30.31% knowledge) than females (mean 20.74±27.25% knowledge). Farmers had the lowest level of intelligence with mean 17.41±27.07 % knowledge. The percentage of scabies knowledge was significantly associated with the education level of the individual (p=0.014). Conclusion: Eventually, the burden to health care systems may increase significantly. It is suggested that the concerned health authorities should actively implement health education programs about the disease in the society, especially in targeted populations such as primary and secondary schools. Continuous medical education should be a must among doctors dealing with scabies.