Prevalence of Self-Reported Hand Dermatosis in Upper Secondary School Pupils.

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of self-reported hand dermatosis among upper secondary school pupils. All pupils in grades 1 and 3 from the four upper secondary schools in Växjö;southern Sweden;were invited to participate in the study. A previously validated questionnaire was used. Of the 2609 invited pupils;2572 (98.6%) responded to the questionnaire. The point prevalence of self-reported hand dermatosis was 4.2% (95% CI;3.4-4.9%) with no significant differences between gender and grades. The overall one-year prevalence of self-reported hand dermatosis was 10.0% (95% CI;8.8-11.1%);i.e. the corresponding figures for males were 7.3% (95% CI;5.9-8.8%) and for females 12.5% (95% CI;10.6-14.6%). There were significant gender differences in grade 1 (p < 0.001) and in grade 3 (p < 0.05). Males and females from the hotel and restaurant course had the highest one-year prevalence in grade 3. It is concluded that the high point and one-year prevalence of hand dermatosis among upper secondary school pupils merits long-term prospective study in order to address the question of which aetiological or trigger factors are most important in the development of hand dermatosis in a population.