Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence and symptoms related to hair dyeing among university freshmen. METHODS: The authors conducted a questionnaire survey among 1, 499 university freshmen from Mar 11 to 15, 2002. RESULTS: The study group contained 710 females and 789 males. Up until 2002, 62.7% of the subjects had experienced hair dyeing, and this was significantly higher in females (66.2%, p< 0.05). The period of first experience of hair dyeing was in high school for 361 cases (38.4%), after high school for 345 cases (36.7%) and before high school for 234 cases (24.9%). The major reasons of hair dyeing were 'to improve their appearance' in 466 cases (49.6%), and 'to follow the hair dyeing fashion' in 169 cases (18.0%). The prevalence of hair dyeing in 2002 was 47.8%, and again was significantly higher in females (53.7%, p< 0.05). The major symptoms related to hair dyeing were 'cleaved and nonelastic hair' in 498 cases (69.6%), and 'thin and easily breakable hair' in 353 cases (49.3%). Of those, 361 cases (50.4%) appealed to three or more symptoms related to hair dyeing. Through multiple logistic regression, factors significantly associated with symptoms related to hair dyeing were found to be female (OR=2.14, 95% CI; 1.61-2.83), use of hair dryer (OR=1.36, 95% CI; 1.004-1.854), a frequency of hair dyeing of three or more (OR=1.48, 95% CI; 1.04-2.09), and a duration of processing hair dyeing of over 60 minutes (OR=2.18, 95% CI; 1.50-3.18). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence and experience of hair dyeing were generally high among university freshmen. Therefore, more extensive epidemiological studies on the symptoms related to hair dyeing should be conducted.

• Keywords: Hair dyesPrevalenceCosmetics