Table 1. Association of body louse infestation and explanatory variables in a homeless population surveyed during 2008–2010 and 2012, San Francisco, California, USA.
| Variable | No. (%) with body lice (n = 60) | No. (%) without body lice (n = 143) | p value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | 0.00† | ||
| Male | 55 (91.7) | 90 (62.9) | |
| Female | 5 (8.3) | 52 (36.4) | |
| No response |
0 |
1 (0.7) |
|
| Race/ethnicity | 0.05† | ||
| White | 27 (45.0) | 64 (44.8) | |
| African American | 21 (35.0) | 30 (21.0) | |
| Hispanic | 6 (10.0) | 22 (15.4) | |
| Native American | 4 (6.7) | 20 (14.0) | |
| Asian |
2 (3.3) |
7 (4.9) |
|
| Age group | 0.19 | ||
| 19–28 y | 1 (1.7) | 11 (7.7) | |
| 29–38 y | 7 (11.7) | 20 (14.0) | |
| 39–48 y | 27 (45.0) | 43 (30.1) | |
| 49–58 y | 19 (31.7) | 54 (37.8) | |
| 59–68 y | 5 (8.3) | 15 (10.5) | |
| No response |
1 (1.7) |
0 |
|
| Sleeping | 0.01† | ||
| Inside | 30 (50.0) | 104 (72.7) | |
| Outside | 30 (50.0) | 38 (26.6) | |
| No response |
0 |
1 (0.7) |
|
| Exchange clothing | 0.76 | ||
| Frequently | 6 (10.0) | 17 (11.9) | |
| Often | 3 (5.0) | 6 (4.2) | |
| Sometimes | 8 (13.3) | 27 (18.9) | |
| Never | 41 (68.3) | 91 (63.6) | |
| No response |
2 (3.3) |
2 (1.4) |
|
| Time homeless | 0.97 | ||
| <1 y | 29 (48.3) | 64 (44.8) | |
| 1–5 y | 15 (25.0) | 38 (26.6) | |
| >5 y | 11 (18.3) | 25 (17.5) | |
| Not homeless | 3 (5.0) | 9 (6.3) | |
| No response |
2 (3.3) |
7 (4.9) |
|
| Reason for examination | 0.02† | ||
| Bugs | 5 (8.3) | 28 (19.6) | |
| Itch | 32 (53.3) | 50 (35.0) | |
| Lice | 18 (30.0) | 37 (25.9) | |
| Services (free shirt) | 5 (8.3) | 28 (19.6) |
*p value of χ2 test evaluating the distribution of variables between those with and without body lice. †Indicates the distribution of the variable is significantly (p<0.05) different between groups.