A study on awareness of skin infection among adults in Petaling district, Malaysia

Objective: The prevalence of skin infection is on the rise globally and there is a lack of published data pertaining to skin infection in Malaysia. Hence, the aim of this study is to determine the awareness of skin infection among adults and to study the effect of skin infection on quality of life (QoL). Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among adults 18 y and above in Petaling district, Malaysia. Subjects were interviewed based on a validated questionnaire to elicit information on socio-demographic data, prevalence and level of awareness of skin infection. Whereas the impact of skin infection on quality of life was questioned using a validated questionnaire Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 18.0. Results: Out of 384 participants, 230 (60%) of the subjects had a skin infection. Bacterial skin infection such as acne (54.8%) being most prevalent, followed on by a fungal infection (29.6%), viral infection (11.7%) and parasitic infection (3.9%). It was found that most of the subjects were aware of the risk factors of skin infection. Nevertheless, those with skin infection reported their quality of life was affected mainly due to the physical symptoms of skin infection and treatment of skin infection. A significant association was found between the awareness of risk factor of skin infection and QoL in those with a skin infection with a p-value<0.05. Conclusion: Most of the respondents were found to be aware of skin infection. Nevertheless, respondents reported that their QoL was affected due to physical symptoms and treatment of skin infection. The study also shows that there is association found between level of awareness of skin infection and QoL in subjects with a skin infection. Hence, dermatological community programs should be encouraged to educate the public further.