IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v6y2009i2p592-600d3946.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Pubic Lice ( Pthirus pubis ): History, Biology and Treatment vs . Knowledge and Beliefs of US College Students

Author

Listed:
  • Alice L. Anderson

    (Carol Belk Building, Department of Health Education and Promotion, Environmental Health Program, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA)

  • Elizabeth Chaney

    (Carol Belk Building, Department of Health Education and Promotion, Environmental Health Program, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA)

Abstract

Pubic lice ( Pthirus pubis ) maintain a worldwide parasitic population infesting two to over 10 percent of human populations, continuing a presence that has been constant since early evidence 10,000 years ago. Outbreaks in the 1970s have been recorded, but incomplete records preclude description of a definitive population cycle. Current levels of infestation in a US college student population were investigated in this study. Knowledge and opinions of students were also recorded in an online survey administered to college students taking a basic health course at a mid-sized East Coast University. In a group of 817 students, 35 reported experience with pubic lice or other STD infection. Knowledge, beliefs, and treatment attitudes were examined for the 782 students who did not have experience with either pubic lice or STD infection. These students deemed antibiotics as a viable treatment for pubic lice infestation. They also indicated negative attitudes toward the use of pesticide crèmes, which are the most useful prescription. Symptoms and transmission myths in student answers are described.

Suggested Citation

  • Alice L. Anderson & Elizabeth Chaney, 2009. "Pubic Lice ( Pthirus pubis ): History, Biology and Treatment vs . Knowledge and Beliefs of US College Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-9, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:6:y:2009:i:2:p:592-600:d:3946
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/6/2/592/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/6/2/592/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lichtenstein, Bronwen, 2003. "Stigma as a barrier to treatment of sexually transmitted infection in the American deep south: issues of race, gender and poverty," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 57(12), pages 2435-2445, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ellen F Eaton & Erika L Austin & Catherine K Dodson & Jose P Heudebert & D’Netria Jackson & Christina A Muzny, 2018. "Do young black men who have sex with men in the deep south prefer traditional over alternative STI testing?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(12), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Golden, Annis G., 2014. "Permeability of public and private spaces in reproductive healthcare seeking: Barriers to uptake of services among low income African American women in a smaller urban setting," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 137-146.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:6:y:2009:i:2:p:592-600:d:3946. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.