Low socioeconomic status and visual health behaviors as factors in childhood myopia development

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.