The status of eye diseases and the analysis of non-seeking medical services factors in residents aged equal to or more than 60 years in rural areas of Qinzhou city

Abstract

Objective To investigate the status of eye diseases and the factors of non-seeking medical services in residents aged equal to or above 60 years in rural areas of Qingzhou city so as to provide the basis for the prevention and treatment. Methods A cross-sectional sample survey was used, it was divided into three-tier: plain, hilly and mountain respectively by geographical location of rural areas, stratified cluster proportioual sampling by village unit, 15929 individuals from 99 villages sampled. The data analysis was accomplished by using SAS 9.1. The rate was standardized first, then the hypothesis testing of the sample standardized rate was performed when compared the prevalence of eye diseases in different areas. The chi-square test of multisampling rate was performed when compared the rate of non-seeking medical services, alpha = 0.05 as the test level. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the reason of non-seeking medical services. Results The prevalence of eye diseases in sampled residents aged equal to or above 60 years in rural areas of Qingzhou city was 13.16%, the prevalence of eye diseases in plain, hilly and mountain areas were 10.93%, 12.25% and 19.03% respectively. The prevalence of eye diseases in hilly areas was higher than that in plain areas (u =2.56,P ＜0.012). The prevalence of eye diseases in mountain areas was higher than that in hilly areas (u =3.29, P＜0.01). The overall rate of non-seeking medical services in residents with eye diseases aged ＞ or = 60 years in three areas was 71.4%, of which, 71.11% for plain, 68.5% for hilly and 73.15% for mountain areas, the difference was not significant (x 2=1.8989, P =0.3869). The factors of non-seeking medical services in residents aged ＞ or = 60 years in three rural areas include following factors: gender, disease 1 (cataract), disease 2 (pterygium) and interactive effect between age and course of disease, negative influence was found between factors mentioned above. In other words, the bigger values the factors above take the smaller the odds ratio (OR)would be. Conclusions High prevalence of eye diseases and high rate of non-seeking medical services is found in residents aged ＞ or = 60 years in rural areas of this city. The results provide basis for us to establish project plan for the prevention and treatment of eye diseases and to improve quality of vision and life in residents of rural areas. Key words: Rural area; Residents aged 60 years and above; Eye diseases; Prevalence status; The rate of non-seeking medical services; The factors of non-seeking medical service; Investigate study