TOPLINE:<\/h2>\n
In a survey of mothers in the US with children living at home, fewer than half correctly identified dermatophytosis (ringworm), and nearly 1 in 5 reported they would use an over-the-counter corticosteroid.<\/p>\n
METHODOLOGY:<\/h2>\n\n- Researchers analyzed data from a nationwide survey of 306 US mothers (median age, 38.5 years; 61% non-Hispanic White, 14% non-Hispanic Black, 11% non-Hispanic multiracial, and 8% Hispanic\/Latino) with children younger than 18 years living at home, conducted in July 2025, using quota sampling based on region, income, and race or ethnicity.<\/li>\n
- Participants provided demographic information and attempted to identify ringworm from images of various other childhood rashes (hives, eczema or psoriasis, erythema migrans, and chicken pox) while also answering questions about treatment approaches, care-seeking behaviors, and prevention measures.<\/li>\n
- The analysis compared the characteristics of respondents who would use over-the-counter corticosteroids to treat ringworm and those who would not use corticosteroids.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
TAKEAWAY:<\/h2>\n\n- Only 47% of the respondents correctly identified images of ringworm, and 63% mistakenly identified erythema migrans as ringworm.<\/li>\n
- Most (82%) indicated that they would contact their healthcare provider or pediatrician if they thought their child had ringworm, and 31% said they would try an over-the-counter antifungal cream, whereas 17% reported they would use an over-the-counter corticosteroid for suspected ringworm, a practice that can worsen a fungal infection.<\/li>\n
- Possibly using vs not using an over-the-counter corticosteroid cream was reported more often by Black (29% vs 11%), Hispanic\/Latino (10% vs 8%), and multiracial (16% vs 11%; P<\/em> = .009) individuals and those with a high school education or less (45% vs 27%, P<\/em> = .032).<\/li>\n
- Most respondents (78%) said they would seek medical care if the rash was large or spreading, whereas 74% said they would seek care if the rash appeared infected, with redness or swelling. The most commonly reported strategies respondents said they used to prevent ringworm in their children included keeping children\u2019s clothing clean (62%), showering after sports (62%), and maintaining clean and dry skin (61%).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
IN PRACTICE:<\/h2>\n
The study results highlight \u201cthe difficulty of visually diagnosing rashes and the importance of seeking early healthcare for accurate diagnosis and treatment,\u201d the authors wrote. \u201cOur findings suggest that focused education might help parents determine when it is necessary to seek care for suspected dermatophytosis and could emphasize the importance of avoiding over-the-counter topical corticosteroids for such conditions,\u201d they added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
SOURCE:<\/h2>\n
The study was led by Jeremy A.W. Gold, MD, Mycotic Diseases Branch, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, and was published online on January 23 in Pediatric Dermatology<\/em>.<\/p>\nLIMITATIONS:<\/h2>\n
The study was limited by lack of diversity in survey images, lack of assessment of participants\u2019 understanding that ringworm is fungal, the opt-in and English-language-only design, and the small sample size.<\/p>\n
DISCLOSURES:<\/h2>\n
The authors did not disclose any funding information and reported having no conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TOPLINE: In a survey of mothers in the US with children living at home, fewer than half correctly identified dermatophytosis (ringworm), and nearly 1 in 5 reported they would use an over-the-counter corticosteroid. METHODOLOGY: Researchers analyzed data from a nationwide survey of 306 US mothers (median age, 38.5 years; 61% non-Hispanic White, 14% non-Hispanic Black, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_daextam_enable_autolinks":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13963\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
TAKEAWAY:<\/h2>\n\n- Only 47% of the respondents correctly identified images of ringworm, and 63% mistakenly identified erythema migrans as ringworm.<\/li>\n
- Most (82%) indicated that they would contact their healthcare provider or pediatrician if they thought their child had ringworm, and 31% said they would try an over-the-counter antifungal cream, whereas 17% reported they would use an over-the-counter corticosteroid for suspected ringworm, a practice that can worsen a fungal infection.<\/li>\n
- Possibly using vs not using an over-the-counter corticosteroid cream was reported more often by Black (29% vs 11%), Hispanic\/Latino (10% vs 8%), and multiracial (16% vs 11%; P<\/em> = .009) individuals and those with a high school education or less (45% vs 27%, P<\/em> = .032).<\/li>\n
- Most respondents (78%) said they would seek medical care if the rash was large or spreading, whereas 74% said they would seek care if the rash appeared infected, with redness or swelling. The most commonly reported strategies respondents said they used to prevent ringworm in their children included keeping children\u2019s clothing clean (62%), showering after sports (62%), and maintaining clean and dry skin (61%).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
IN PRACTICE:<\/h2>\n
The study results highlight \u201cthe difficulty of visually diagnosing rashes and the importance of seeking early healthcare for accurate diagnosis and treatment,\u201d the authors wrote. \u201cOur findings suggest that focused education might help parents determine when it is necessary to seek care for suspected dermatophytosis and could emphasize the importance of avoiding over-the-counter topical corticosteroids for such conditions,\u201d they added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
SOURCE:<\/h2>\n
The study was led by Jeremy A.W. Gold, MD, Mycotic Diseases Branch, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, and was published online on January 23 in Pediatric Dermatology<\/em>.<\/p>\nLIMITATIONS:<\/h2>\n
The study was limited by lack of diversity in survey images, lack of assessment of participants\u2019 understanding that ringworm is fungal, the opt-in and English-language-only design, and the small sample size.<\/p>\n
DISCLOSURES:<\/h2>\n
The authors did not disclose any funding information and reported having no conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TOPLINE: In a survey of mothers in the US with children living at home, fewer than half correctly identified dermatophytosis (ringworm), and nearly 1 in 5 reported they would use an over-the-counter corticosteroid. METHODOLOGY: Researchers analyzed data from a nationwide survey of 306 US mothers (median age, 38.5 years; 61% non-Hispanic White, 14% non-Hispanic Black, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_daextam_enable_autolinks":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13963\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
IN PRACTICE:<\/h2>\n
The study results highlight \u201cthe difficulty of visually diagnosing rashes and the importance of seeking early healthcare for accurate diagnosis and treatment,\u201d the authors wrote. \u201cOur findings suggest that focused education might help parents determine when it is necessary to seek care for suspected dermatophytosis and could emphasize the importance of avoiding over-the-counter topical corticosteroids for such conditions,\u201d they added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
SOURCE:<\/h2>\n
The study was led by Jeremy A.W. Gold, MD, Mycotic Diseases Branch, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, and was published online on January 23 in Pediatric Dermatology<\/em>.<\/p>\n The study was limited by lack of diversity in survey images, lack of assessment of participants\u2019 understanding that ringworm is fungal, the opt-in and English-language-only design, and the small sample size.<\/p>\n The authors did not disclose any funding information and reported having no conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n TOPLINE: In a survey of mothers in the US with children living at home, fewer than half correctly identified dermatophytosis (ringworm), and nearly 1 in 5 reported they would use an over-the-counter corticosteroid. METHODOLOGY: Researchers analyzed data from a nationwide survey of 306 US mothers (median age, 38.5 years; 61% non-Hispanic White, 14% non-Hispanic Black, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_daextam_enable_autolinks":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13963\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}LIMITATIONS:<\/h2>\n
DISCLOSURES:<\/h2>\n
\n
<<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"