Ko Kyaw Ko, Pumpaibool Tepanata, Wynn Maung Maung Myo, Win Ye, Kyi Tin Moe, Aung Pyae Linn
College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health and Sports, Naypyitaw, 15032, Myanmar.
Clin Ophthalmol. 2021 Feb 25;15:815-824. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S287257. eCollection 2021.
Cataract-related blindness is routinely reported globally. This study aimed to measure the effect of door-to-door eye health education in improving knowledge and attitude toward cataracts and the use of eyecare services among the elderly residing in a rural area of Naypyitaw Union Territory, Myanmar.
A quasi-experimental study design that used intervention and control groups was employed in Lewe Township from November 2018 to April 2019. Stratified sampling method was used to select lists of patients diagnosed with cataracts via a township-wide prevalence survey of eye diseases. A total of 56 elderly people with cataracts were involved in each group. The intervention group received door-to-door eye health education for 3 consecutive months. The data were collected using pre- and post-intervention surveys. Descriptive statistics for general characteristics as well as Chi-squared tests and multivariate analysis of variance for significant differences between knowledge and attitude scores of the two groups were analyzed.
Both groups represented similarities in socio-economic characteristics, pre-existing knowledge and attitude levels, and eyecare services use. During the baseline study, the mean knowledge score in the intervention group was 7.8 and after the intervention, it increased to 10.67. Attitude score increased from 4.51 to 7.55. Among the control group, the scores remained unchanged. For use of eyecare services in the intervention group, 35.7% of patients sought eyecare services before the intervention, but after, 85.7% accessed eyecare services. Among them, 78.6% were satisfied with the treatment outcome. Further, there was a significant difference in knowledge and attitude between the control group and the intervention group (p-value <0.05), representing a medium effect of the intervention on improving knowledge and attitude level.
Door-to-door eyecare education significantly increased knowledge and attitude toward cataracts and the use of eyecare services among the elderly with cataracts. Intervention might be effective in improving the use of eyecare services and reduction of avoidable blindness due to cataracts.
全球范围内经常报告与白内障相关的失明情况。本研究旨在衡量挨家挨户进行的眼保健教育对改善缅甸内比都联邦直辖区农村地区老年人对白内障的认识和态度以及眼保健服务利用情况的影响。
2018年11月至2019年4月在勒韦镇采用了一种使用干预组和对照组的准实验研究设计。通过全镇范围的眼病患病率调查，采用分层抽样方法选择被诊断患有白内障的患者名单。每组共有56名患有白内障的老年人。干预组连续3个月接受挨家挨户的眼保健教育。数据通过干预前和干预后的调查收集。分析了一般特征的描述性统计以及两组知识和态度得分之间显著差异的卡方检验和多变量方差分析。
两组在社会经济特征、既往知识和态度水平以及眼保健服务利用方面表现出相似性。在基线研究期间，干预组的平均知识得分是7.8，干预后增加到10.67。态度得分从4.51增加到7.55。对照组的得分保持不变。关于干预组眼保健服务的利用情况，35.7%的患者在干预前寻求眼保健服务，但干预后，85.7%的患者获得了眼保健服务。其中，78.6%的患者对治疗结果满意。此外，对照组和干预组在知识和态度方面存在显著差异（p值<0.05），表明干预对提高知识和态度水平有中等效果。
挨家挨户的眼保健教育显著提高了患有白内障的老年人对白内障的认识和态度以及眼保健服务的利用情况。干预可能在改善眼保健服务利用和减少因白内障导致的可避免失明方面有效。
