scholarly journals Profile of refractive errors and amblyopia in 5-15 yrs of school going children at a Union territory tertiary health centre

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 1929
Author(s):  
Ezhilvathani N. ◽  
Suruthi P. ◽  
Jeiganesh M.
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Positive Family History ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Refractive Errors ◽  
Health Care Centre ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background: Poor vision in childhood affects performance in school and has a significant impact on future life of child in terms of education and development. Current study aims at detecting the magnitude and patterns of refractive errors with amblyopia screening so that effective measures can be planned at the right time to minimize the burden.Methods: Hospital based cross sectional study conducted on 200 children between 5-15 years attending the ophthalmology OPD of a tertiary health care centre, Puducherry. Interpretation and data analysis were done by SPSS software version 13.0.Results: Mean age of presentation was 9 years. Female to male ratio in the present study was 1.3:1. Positive family history was noted among 48 children suggesting strong impact of genetic factor in refractive errors. Among 20 children who were already on spectacle correction, the most common refractive error was compound myopic astigmatism. Among 30 children who were diagnosed with amblyopia, 8 children below 8 years of age had improved vision on 1 month follow up of post treatment with spectacles and occlusion therapy and 22 children did not show improvement suggesting amblyopia can be corrected if intervention was instituted before the age of 8 years.Conclusions:Refractive errors with or without amblyopia is a significant cause of childhood visual impairment. Though it is a hospital-based study, the results were in consistent with previously published hospital and population based study. This study also expected to serve as a tool for primary health care physicians to have an overview of magnitude and patterns of refractive errors in children presenting to hospital since refractive error is a significant public health problem worldwide.Background: Poor vision in childhood affects performance in school and has a significant impact on future life of child in terms of education and development. Current study aims at detecting the magnitude and patterns of refractive errors with amblyopia screening so that effective measures can be planned at the right time to minimize the burden.Methods: Hospital based cross sectional study conducted on 200 children between 5-15 years attending the ophthalmology OPD of a tertiary health care centre, Puducherry. Interpretation and data analysis were done by SPSS software version 13.0.Results: Mean age of presentation was 9 years. Female to male ratio in the present study was 1.3:1. Positive family history was noted among 48 children suggesting strong impact of genetic factor in refractive errors. Among 20 children who were already on spectacle correction, the most common refractive error was compound myopic astigmatism. Among 30 children who were diagnosed with amblyopia, 8 children below 8 years of age had improved vision on 1 month follow up of post treatment with spectacles and occlusion therapy and 22 children did not show improvement suggesting amblyopia can be corrected if intervention was instituted before the age of 8 years.Conclusions: Refractive errors with or without amblyopia is a significant cause of childhood visual impairment. Though it is a hospital-based study, the results were in consistent with previously published hospital and population based study. This study also expected to serve as a tool for primary health care physicians to have an overview of magnitude and patterns of refractive errors in children presenting to hospital since refractive error is a significant public health problem worldwide.

scholarly journals Refractive error in school children in Agona Swedru, Ghana

2010 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. O. Ovenseri-Ogbomo ◽  
R. Assien
Keyword(s):  
Refractive Error ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Reading Test ◽  
Refractive Errors ◽  
District Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Directorate ◽  
Considerable Impact ◽  
Education Authority

Uncorrected refractive errors remains a public health problem among different population groups. Among schoolchildren, uncorrected refractive errors have a considerable impact on learning andacademic achievement especially in underserved and under-resourced communities. A school based cross-sectional study was carriedout to estimate the prevalence and distribution of refractive error among schoolchildren in the Agona Swedru municipality of Central Region of Ghana. 637 schoolchildren aged 11-18 years old were randomly selected for the study. Non-cycloplegic refraction was performed on each child who failed the reading test. Hyperopia was defined as spherical power of ≥ + 0.75 D, myopia as ≤ – 0.50 D and astigmatism as a cylindrical power of ≤ – 0.50 D. Of the children examined, only 13.3% had previously had an eye examination.Visual impairment (VA of 6/12 or worse in the better eye) was present in 4.5% of the children examined. Of those who failed the reading test, 85.9% had refractive error. The prevalence of hyperopia, myopia and astigmatism was 5.0%, 1.7% and 6.6% respectively. The study concludes that uncorrected refractive error is a common cause of visual impairment among schoolchildren in the municipality. A low uptake of eye care is also noted in the study. The study therefore recommends that the education authority in collaboration with the District Health Directorate institute appropriate measures to ensure compulsory eye examination for schoolchildren in the Agona Swedru district. (S Afr Optom 2010 69(2) 86-92)

The prevalence and causes of visual impairment in Dariyah, a rural community in Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Waleed Alghamdi ◽  
Godwin O. Ovenseri-Ogbomo
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Rural Community ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Vision Impairment ◽  
Health Examination ◽  
Refractive Errors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Eye Examination

Background: Visual impairment is disproportionately distributed between rural and urban dwellers. Rural dwellers have limited access to the eye care services that are available in urban cities.Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and causes of visual impairment in Dariyah, a rural community in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia.Setting: This research comprised a population-based assessment of the vision and visual status of the inhabitants of Dariyah community.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted amongst the inhabitants of the community of Dariyah. A comprehensive eye examination consisting of visual acuity, ocular health examination, objective and subjective refraction was performed. The examinations were conducted by registered ophthalmologists and optometrists from the Qassim University. Vision impairments were categorised according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), Section 9D90, ‘Vision impairment including blindness’ (2018).Results: In all, 68 (24.5%) participants had vision impairment (using the better-seeing eye), with refractive errors being the main cause of vision impairment. Other causes of vision impairment included cataract (20, 7.2%), trichiasis (5, 1.8%) and glaucoma (2, 0.7%). Refractive errors were present in 193 (69.7%), with astigmatism being the commonest refractive error. About 60% of those with refractive errors presented without spectacles for correction, and 20% reported that they had never had an eye examination. Refractive errors could not be determined in 19 (6.9%) of the subjects because of conditions such as matured cataract and other ocular abnormalities.Conclusion: Uncorrected refractive error was found to be the leading cause of vision impairment in this rural community in Saudi Arabia.

scholarly journals Assessing Knowledge on Clubfoot Among Parents Having Children with Clubfoot Deformity

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zobaer Alam ◽  
Md Monoarul Haque ◽  
Md Rijwan Bhuiyan ◽  
Md Shahinoor Islam ◽  
Monirul Haque ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Educational Status ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Childhood Disability ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Level Of Knowledge

Background: The burden of childhood disability as a public health problem in developing countries remains relatively unrecognized. One out of 750 children born in the world suffer from club foot among them 80% are in low and middle income countries. Most of these babies have limited access to receive effective treatment for their clubfoot due to lack o knowledge, awareness and some barriers. We actually don’t know the level of knowledge of parents who have child with clubfoot deformity. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of knowledge of parents who have children with clubfoot during clubfoot treatment. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted among 102 parents who have children with clubfoot deformity during its treatment in a selected clinic. The samples were selected purposively from the clinics where clubfoot treatment was given and face to face interview was done by using semi-structured questionnaire. Results: The mean (±SD) age of the respondents were 24.7 (±6.0) years where 87.3% (n=89) respondents ware female and 59.8 %(n=61) respondent’s educational status ware up to primary level. About 44.1% respondents started treatment of their child within 6 months of birth and 33% within 6 to 12 months where 57% (n=58) respondents are referred by health care professional to this clinics. About 93.1% of parents (n=95) said that they knew nothing about clubfoot deformity before their child was diagnosed where 97% are aware after diagnosis of their child. About 93.1% respondents knew the best time for treatment initiation where 59.8% respondents know the correct follow up time of clubfoot management. In case of knowledge of parents’ roles in the treatment of clubfoot about 91.2%, parents have knowledge weekly visit for treatment and 86.3% know the plaster care where 52.9% (n=54) parents have lack of knowledge about how to use the brace Conclusion: There is need to improve the communication skills of clinicians/health care providers offering treatment to children with clubfoot at the Clinics. Need to share information with the parents about the condition. Finally, there is need to emphasize of educating parents about plaster care and how to use brace. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/cmoshmcj.v14i1.22882 Chatt Maa Shi Hosp Med Coll J; Vol.14 (1); Jan 2015; Page 42-46

scholarly journals Trends, Coverage and Influencing Determinants of Influenza Vaccination in the Elderly: A Population-Based National Survey in Spain (2006–2017)

Vaccines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 327
Author(s):  
Silvia Portero de la Cruz ◽  
Jesús Cebrino
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Significant Public Health

Influenza is a significant public health problem and the elderly are at a greater risk of contracting the disease. The vaccination coverage of the elderly is below the Spanish target of 65% for each influenza season. The aims of this study were to report the coverage of influenza vaccination in Spain among the population aged ≥65 years and high-risk groups for suffering chronic diseases, to analyze the time trends from 2006 to 2017 and to identify the factors which affect vaccination coverage. A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted including 20,753 non-institutionalized individuals aged ≥65 years who had participated in the Spanish National Health Surveys in 2006, 2011/2012, and 2017. Sociodemographic, health-related variables, and influenza vaccination data were used. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the variables associated with influenza vaccination. Influenza vaccination coverage was 60%. By chronic condition, older people with high cholesterol levels and cancer had the lowest vaccination coverage (62.41% and 60.73%, respectively). This coverage declined from 2006 to 2017 in both groups. Higher influenza vaccination was associated with males, Spanish nationality, normal social support perceived, polypharmacy, worse perceived health, participation in other preventive measures, and increasing age and the number of chronic diseases.

scholarly journals Prevalence and risk factors for myopia among school children in Aba, Nigeria

2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Uchenna C. Atowa ◽  
Alvin J. Munsamy ◽  
Samuel O. Wajuihian
Keyword(s):  
School Children ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Significant Difference

Aim: To study the prevalence of myopia among school children in Aba, Nigeria.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in public and private (primary and secondary) schools. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used for selecting participants aged between 8 and 15 years from 12 schools in Aba, Nigeria. Data were analysed for 1197 children who underwent a comprehensive eye examination. The children were divided according to the following criteria: age groups (group 1 [8–11 years] or group 2 [12–15 years]), gender (male or female), level of education (primary or secondary) and type of school (public or private). Myopia was defined as spherical equivalent refraction (SER) ≤ -0.50 D in the poorer eye.Results: The prevalence of myopia was estimated to be 2.7%. Of the 96 children with refractive error, 78.1% were uncorrected. In using logistic regression analysis, risk of developing myopia was associated with older age groups (odds ratio [OR]: 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16–9.11; p < 0.010) and higher level of education (OR: 1.73; 95% CI, 1.05–2.86; p < 0.030). There was no significant difference in myopia prevalence between male and female children (p = 0.89).Conclusion: Although the prevalence of myopia and overall prevalence of refractive error in school children in Aba were low, the high prevalence of uncorrected refractive error is a significant public health problem. An effective and sustainable children’s vision screening programme is needed to prevent visual impairment and blindness.

scholarly journals Refractive Errors and its Associated Factors among Undergraduate Medical Students in Kathmandu

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-30
Author(s):  
Aparna Rizyal ◽  
JS Sunrait ◽  
A Mishal
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Single Point ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Refractive Errors ◽  
Undergraduate Medical Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Parental History ◽  
Medical College

 Refractive error is a defect in the optical system of the eye which prevents light from being brought to a single point focus on the retina, thus reducing normal vision. This optical defect is the second most common cause of visual impairment globally as well in Nepal. At present, there are 285 million visually impaired people in the world. An estimated 4 out of 5 visual impairment (80%) can be prevented or cured, uncorrected refractive errors are the leading cause (42%) followed by cataract (33%). A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted to determine the proportion of undergraduate medical students with refractive errors in Nepal Medical College, and to identify factors associated with it. A total of 210 medical students volunteered for this study, with 100 males (47.6%) and 110 females (52.4%). The age of these students were between 18 to 26 years, with an average of 20.5 years. The proportion of medical students with refractive error was slightly more than half (51.4%), with simple myopia being the leading type (42.9%), followed by astigmatism (7.1%) and simple hypermetropia (1.4%). Parental history of refractive error was observed to be significantly associated with that of the medical students. There was also a significant association between refractive error and the daily use of mobile phones and laptops. However, years spent in medical education were not observed to be significant.

scholarly journals Clinical and epidemiological profile of hypertensive patients at the primary health care level in the state of Alagoas

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 349-357
Author(s):  
Raphaela Costa Ferreira ◽  
Bruna Merten Padilha ◽  
Yasmin Eugênia Santos e Silva Pedrosa ◽  
Rosielle Batista Ferreira ◽  
Poliana Coelho Cabral ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Important Public Health Problem ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
Hypertensive Patients ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Epidemiological Profile

Study design: This was a cross-sectional, population-based and descriptive study. Study objective: To describe the clinical and epidemiological profile of hypertensive patients at the primary health care of Alagoas state. Methods: This study was carried out in the Basic Health Units of 12 cities of Alagoas, between 2014 and 2015, with hypertensive individuals between 20 and 60 years, of both gender. Socioeconomic, demographic, clinical, lifestyle, anthropometric and biochemical data were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics by Epi-Info version 7. Results: We evaluated 645 individuals. Of these, 86.2% were women, 62.3% had uncontrolled blood pressure, 41.9% had low educational level, 11.1% were smokers, 26.3% were alcohol users, 64.7% were sedentary, 48.4% were obese, 73.6% had high cardiovascular risk, according to waist circumference; 54.4% and 47.2% had elevated total cholesterol and triglycerides, respectively. Conclusion: Since hypertension is an important public health problem that has serious consequences, the knowledge of the hypertensive population profile of Alagoas will facilitate the treatment for the health of patients with this condition.

scholarly journals Smoking in adults in the municipality of Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil: a population-based study

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 989-1000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Merly Martinelli ◽  
Creso Machado Lopes ◽  
Pascoal Torres Muniz ◽  
Orivado Florencio de Souza
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Lower Amount ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Waking Up ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the associations between smoking and socioeconomic status, and to analyze the profile of smokers in the city of Rio Branco, Acre. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study conducted with 1,512 adults living in urban and rural areas. Information about demographic aspects, socioeconomic status and smoking habits were collected through home interviews. Crude and adjusted prevalence ratios with their respective 95% confidence intervals were calculated by Poisson regression. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of smoking was of 19.9%. Males had a higher prevalence (22.7%) in contrast to females (17.6%). By age, a higher prevalence was observed at 50 - 59 years in males (30.9%) and at 40 - 49 years in females (23.8%). A linear trend was observed between the higher prevalence of smoking and the lower amount of years of education and income (p < 0.05). The profile of smokers indicated that the majority, in both genders, began smoking at age 15, smoked between 1 and 10 cigarettes per day, lit the first cigarette of the day 60 minutes after waking up and had tried to quit smoking at least twice. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of smoking is a relevant public health problem in Rio Branco. Community actions must be implemented for the prevention and control of tobacco use.

scholarly journals Costs and effects of conventional vision screening and photoscreening in the Dutch preventive child health care system

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catharina P B Van der Ploeg ◽  
Manon Grevinga ◽  
Iris Eekhout ◽  
Eline Vlasblom ◽  
Caren I Lanting ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Child Health ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Child Health Care ◽  
Test Duration ◽  
Vision Screening ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Preventive Child Health Care

Abstract Background Little is known about costs and effects of vision screening strategies to detect amblyopia. Aim of this study was to compare costs and effects of conventional (optotype) vision screening, photoscreening or a combination in children aged 3–6 years. Methods Population-based, cross-sectional study in preventive child health care in The Hague. Children aged 3 years (3y), 3 years and 9 months (3y9m) or 5–6 years (5/6y) received the conventional chart vision screening and a test with a photoscreener (Plusoptix S12C). Costs were based on test duration and additional costs for devices and diagnostic work-up. Results Two thousand, one hundred and forty-four children were included. The estimated costs per child screened were €17.44, €20.37 and €6.90 for conventional vision screening at 3y, 3y9m and 5/6y, respectively. For photoscreening, these estimates were €6.61, €7.52 and €9.40 and for photoscreening followed by vision screening if the result was unclear (combination) €9.32 (3y) and €9.33 (3y9m). The number of children detected with amblyopia by age were 9, 14 and 5 (conventional screening), 6, 13 and 3 (photoscreening) and 10 (3y) and 15 (3y9m) (combination), respectively. The estimated costs per child diagnosed with amblyopia were €1500, €1050 and €860 for conventional vision screening, €860, €420 and €1940 for photoscreening and €730 (3y) and €450 (3y9m) for the combination. Conclusions Combining photoscreening with vision screening seems promising to detect amblyopia in children aged 3y/3y9m, whereas conventional screening seems preferable at 5/6y. As the number of study children with amblyopia is small, further research on the effects of these screening alternatives in detecting children with amblyopia is recommended.

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