College of Economics, Xi'an University of Finance and Economics, Xi'an, China.
Center for Experimental Economics in Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China.
Front Public Health. 2022 Nov 15;10:1034314. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1034314. eCollection 2022.
Cataracts are highly prevalent in rural China, but patient utilization of eye care services is low. Cataract knowledge is regarded as an important factor in eye care utilization. Few studies, however, have been conducted to measure the level of cataract knowledge and its relationship with eye care utilization among older adults in rural China. Hence, we described cataract knowledge and investigated the relationships between cataract knowledge and eye care utilization among adults (≥50 years) in rural Western China.
A large community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2020 among adults aged 50 years and older in 73 rural villages in Qingcheng County, Western China. The participants underwent an eye examination at their village clinic to determine whether they had cataracts. Participants also answered a questionnaire about cataracts, eye care utilization status, and sociodemographic characteristics. The collected data underwent descriptive and multiple logistic regression analyses.
The eye examinations revealed that 45.15% (675/1,495) of participants had cataracts in at least one eye, yet 90.67% (612/675) were left untreated. The average score achieved by participants about cataract knowledge was 4.91 points (total score was eight points). Correct knowledge about cataracts was positively associated with cataract screening and cataract surgery. Elders with better cataract knowledge were 2.21 times more likely to undergo cataract screening (OR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.54-3.16) and 5.61 times more likely to undergo cataract surgery (OR, 5.61; 95% CI, 2.87-10.98). More than half had three fundamental misconceptions about how cataracts should be treated, how much they should cost, and when they should be treated. Participants who did not have these misconceptions were more likely to receive cataract screening by 1.21-2.02 times and cataract surgery by 1.76-3.48 times.
There are misunderstandings about cataract treatment methods, treatment costs and timing in the sample areas. A better understanding of cataracts was significantly positively associated with cataract screening and cataract surgery. Health education on cataracts and regular eye examinations are needed to improve eye care utilization in rural China.
白内障在中国农村地区高发，但患者对眼部护理服务的利用率较低。白内障知识被认为是影响眼部护理利用的重要因素。然而，很少有研究测量中国农村老年人的白内障知识水平及其与眼部护理利用之间的关系。因此，我们描述了白内障知识，并调查了中国西部农村地区成年人（≥50 岁）的白内障知识与眼部护理利用之间的关系。
2020 年 10 月至 12 月，在中国西部清城县的 73 个农村村庄中，对 50 岁及以上的成年人进行了一项大型基于社区的横断面研究。参与者在他们的乡村诊所接受眼部检查，以确定他们是否患有白内障。参与者还回答了一份关于白内障、眼部护理利用状况和社会人口特征的问卷。收集的数据进行了描述性和多逻辑回归分析。
眼部检查显示，1495 名参与者中，45.15%（675 名）至少一眼患有白内障，但 90.67%（612 名）未接受治疗。参与者对白内障知识的平均得分是 4.91 分（总分为 8 分）。正确的白内障知识与白内障筛查和白内障手术呈正相关。白内障知识较好的老年人接受白内障筛查的可能性高 2.21 倍（比值比，2.21；95%置信区间，1.54-3.16），接受白内障手术的可能性高 5.61 倍（比值比，5.61；95%置信区间，2.87-10.98）。超过一半的人对白内障的治疗方法、治疗费用和治疗时间有三种基本误解。没有这些误解的参与者接受白内障筛查的可能性高 1.21-2.02 倍，接受白内障手术的可能性高 1.76-3.48 倍。
在样本地区，白内障治疗方法、治疗费用和治疗时间存在误解。对白内障的认识程度越高，与白内障筛查和白内障手术的相关性就越强。需要对白内障进行健康教育和定期眼部检查，以提高中国农村地区的眼部护理利用率。
