Abstract
Although many studies have discussed visual acuity (VA), the childhood myopia epidemic has not been alleviated and requires further investigation. This study, therefore, investigates the differences in children’s VA among various family structures and the effects of visual health attitudes (VHA) and visual health behaviors (VHB) on VA. The children in low socioeconomic status (SES) families in Changhua County, Taiwan are the main research subjects. Using purposive sampling, the study conducts a questionnaire survey and a VA examination on low SES children, undergoing counseling at two social welfare organizations in Taiwan. The VA examination was conducted at the two social welfare organizations by an ophthalmologist from Tzu Chi Hospital, Taichung, between October 2016 and December 2016. 265 questionnaires were returned. Significantly, over 60% of the samples of low SES children were not living with their parents. Of these children, the highest proportion (35.8%) lived with their mothers; the second-highest (31.3%), lived with their grandparents; and the third highest (29.4%), lived with their fathers. 86.4% of the low SES children had poor (below 1.0) VA. The study, therefore, concludes that schools should focus on low SES students, and should focus on improving the VHA of the youngest students.
Highlights
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 246 million visually impaired people worldwide and that 90% of these people are of low socioeconomic status (SES) [1]
The WHO reports that worldwide socioeconomic development and concerted public health action have brought about a general decrease in visual impairment worldwide, there is a scholarly consensus that myopia is increasing worldwide and is approaching epidemic proportions in the industrialized nations of East Asia [2,3,4,5,6,7]
visual health behaviors (VHB) will have a positive impact on visual acuity (VA)
Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 246 million visually impaired people worldwide and that 90% of these people are of low socioeconomic status (SES) [1]. To cite a few of the studies that argue for the importance of environmental factors in myopia development, Xiang et al found that a high percentage of children in Guangzhou become myopic by the age of 15, irrespective of the myopic status of their parents [16]. He et al reported that, in China, school children in urban settings exhibit a higher prevalence of myopia than children in rural settings [17], suggesting that environmental factors are involved in the children’s myopia development, because the genetic background of the children living in the urban and rural areas is similar. Rose et al found that a lower prevalence of myopia among Chinese children raised in Sydney than among Chinese children living in Singapore was associated with increased hours of outdoor activities [18]
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