The objectives of this study were threefold: to determine the prevalence of skin diseases among primary school children in the UAE; to assess the ability of the primary health care physicians (PCPs) to diagnose skin diseases; and to plan a dermatological education program for children of the UAE. An epidemiological survey included the clinical examination of selected school children by two quantified dermatologists and the relationships between the prevalence of skin diseases and a range of hygiene and socioeconomic factors were examined.1536 Local schoolchildren aged 6-9 years were included. The prevalence of common skin diseases in the children was 19%. The most common skin diseases included: dermatitis (8.1%), viral diseases (3.8%), and pigmentation disorders (1.7%). Selected skin diseases showed significant associations with a range of socioeconomic and hygiene factors on multivariate analyses. Physicians were better at correctly diagnosing common skin diseases compared with the less frequent, or rare skin diseases. Finally, PCPs with specific training in dermatology showed more ability to diagnose a range of skin diseases compared with those with no relevant training. Based on the results of this study, an improvement in socioeconomic and personal hygiene conditions along with the initiation of pertinent educational programs for children, patients and teachers may reduce the prevalence of some skin disorders. Important aspects of such dermatological health care programs are proposed. In addition, specific dermatological training for PCPs should be considered to increase their ability to diagnose and manage common skin diseases in children.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:521147 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Al-Khazraji, Atika Abdulaziz |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=136914 |
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