Epidemiology, Behavioral Determinants, Symptom Burden, and Severity of Traction Alopecia Among Ghanaian Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.
- 1College of Health Sciences University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana Accra Ghana.
- 2Cosmopolitan Dermatology Shaker Heights Ohio USA.
- 3Research Department Association of Future African Neurosurgeons Yaounde Cameroon.
Abstract
Traction alopecia (TA) is preventable, yet population-level data on cumulative exposures in African cohorts remain scarce. This study characterized the epidemiology of TA among Ghanaian women and evaluated a multi-behavioral risk-stratification early-screening framework. We surveyed Ghanaian women in May 2026 using a structured questionnaire. Hairline status was classified using the Marginal Traction Alopecia Score (M-TAS). Associations between exposures and TA were evaluated using bivariable analyses and multivariable logistic regression. Model discrimination was assessed using the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC), and participants were stratified into risk tiers using predicted probabilities. The mean age of the 197 respondents was 23.1 ± 4.3 years, and 40.6% (80/197) had hairline recession consistent with TA. In the regression model, each additional year of age was associated with an 8.0% increase in the odds of recession (aOR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.00-1.16; p = 0.04). Keeping a single hairstyle for over 6 weeks showed a non-significant increase in estimated odds (aOR, 1.81; 95% CI, 0.59-5.60; p = 0.30) while > 2 high-frequency thermal styling sessions/month (aOR, 5.65; 95% CI, 1.35-23.62; p = 0.02) were associated with increased odds compared to unexposed individuals (AUROC, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.60-0.76). The proportion of participants with hairline recession consistent with TA increased from 27.7% in the lowest-risk group to 58.5% in the highest-risk group (p < 0.001). TA risk scales non-linearly, driven heavily by prolonged installations and frequent heat exposure. Integrating these distinct exposures into a unified, model-predicted risk stratification framework could provide a well-calibrated backend architecture for consumer-facing digital health tools in Africa.
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BibTeX
@article{ayugane2026epidemiology,
title = {{Epidemiology, Behavioral Determinants, Symptom Burden, and Severity of Traction Alopecia Among Ghanaian Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.}},
author = {Gloria Apegwine Ayugane and Jeduthun Osei-Sekyereh and Christabel Afi Tonugble and Akua Yiadomah Asare and Ellwin Kwabena-Adade and Princess Y Benson and Angela Kyei and Ulrick Sidney Kanmounye},
journal = {Health science reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/hsr2.73442},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953661},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Epidemiology, Behavioral Determinants, Symptom Burden, and Severity of Traction Alopecia Among Ghanaian Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AU - Gloria Apegwine Ayugane
AU - Jeduthun Osei-Sekyereh
AU - Christabel Afi Tonugble
AU - Akua Yiadomah Asare
AU - Ellwin Kwabena-Adade
AU - Princess Y Benson
AU - Angela Kyei
AU - Ulrick Sidney Kanmounye
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Health science reports
DO - 10.1002/hsr2.73442
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953661
AB - Traction alopecia (TA) is preventable, yet population-level data on cumulative exposures in African cohorts remain scarce. This study characterized the epidemiology of TA among Ghanaian women and evaluated a multi-behavioral risk-stratification early-screening framework. We surveyed Ghanaian women in May 2026 using a structured questionnaire. Hairline status was classified using the Marginal Traction Alopecia Score (M-TAS). Associations between exposures and TA were evaluated using bivariable analyses and multivariable logistic regression. Model discrimination was assessed using the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC), and participants were stratified into risk tiers using predicted probabilities. The mean age of the 197 respondents was 23.1 ± 4.3 years, and 40.6% (80/197) had hairline recession consistent with TA. In the regression model, each additional year of age was associated with an 8.0% increase in the odds of recession (aOR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.00-1.16; p = 0.04). Keeping a single hairstyle for over 6 weeks showed a non-significant increase in estimated odds (aOR, 1.81; 95% CI, 0.59-5.60; p = 0.30) while > 2 high-frequency thermal styling sessions/month (aOR, 5.65; 95% CI, 1.35-23.62; p = 0.02) were associated with increased odds compared to unexposed individuals (AUROC, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.60-0.76). The proportion of participants with hairline recession consistent with TA increased from 27.7% in the lowest-risk group to 58.5% in the highest-risk group (p < 0.001). TA risk scales non-linearly, driven heavily by prolonged installations and frequent heat exposure. Integrating these distinct exposures into a unified, model-predicted risk stratification framework could provide a well-calibrated backend architecture for consumer-facing digital health tools in Africa.
SN - 2398-8835
ER -