Environmental Hygiene and House Dust Mites in Dormitories for Female Students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2016

Abstract

Background: Most students perceive a dormitory as their home. Research suggests that inappropriate conditions of dormitories can disrupt the psychophysical health and educational status of students. Objectives: The present research was conducted in 2016 to investigate the status of the environmental hygiene and house dust mites (HDMs) in dormitories for the female students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran. The status of dust in terms of HDMs was also examined in different areas of the dormitories, including the rooms. Methods: To investigate the environmental parameters, a checklist comprising 14 sections was developed and completed through a field survey. To investigate the prevalence of mites, the samples collected from 1 m2 of the surface of the mattresses and carpets in the rooms using a vacuum cleaner were extracted and stained, and the mites were counted under a microscope. Results: One sample positive for mites was identified in both Boostan and Taleghani dormitories, while no positive samples were found in Mofatteh dormitory. Moderate levels of environmental hygiene were also observed in Mofatteh dormitory and favorable levels in Boostan and Taleghani. Conclusions: The results obtained from the present research suggest that the health status of the dormitories was moderate to high based on their overall score; nevertheless, the buildings oldness and the lack of a consistent management of waste collection and sewage disposal were among the factors that degraded the health status of all the dormitories.