Application of Custard Apple Seed Powder on Itching Lice Among Adolescent Girls in Selected Women’s Hostel, Coimbatore.

Abstract

Custard apple is a sub-tropical fruit belonging to the Annonaceae family. The therapy of pediculosis remains a common problem among all age groups. Natural products have been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years, and recently have been increasing interest, since the costs are usually lower and they are considered less toxic by the public. This study aims to assess the level of itching by lice and effectiveness of custard apple seed powder on lice before and after application among adolescent girls. Quasi- experimental design, one -a group with pre-test and post-test design in selected women’s hostel. The 't'- test was used to test the significance of mean difference in the itching scores of adolescent girls after application of custard apple seed powder.  The calculated 't-' value, 14.98, is greater than the table value at 0.01 level of significance. Thus the application of custard apple seed powder on itching by lice among adolescent girls was an effective