Department of Ophthalmology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Child Health Evaluative Sciences Program and Centre for Global Child Health, Sickkids Research Institute, Toronto, Canada.
PLoS One. 2023 Nov 3;18(11):e0293595. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293595. eCollection 2023.
The majority of childhood blindness causes in low-income countries are treatable or avoidable. Parents or guardians are responsible for making decisions regarding a child's eye care. Understanding parents' awareness and perception of eye problems in crucial in helping to know parents' eye care-seeking behavior.
To determine parental knowledge, attitudes and practice regarding child eye health.
Seven focus groups were carried out in Northwest Ethiopia on knowledge, attitude and practice of parents towards child eye health. Their responses were tape-recorded and later transcribed. A thematic phenomenological approach was used for the analysis.
Seventy-one parents participated in the focus groups. Participants were aware of common eye problems like trachoma, trauma, and glaucoma. However, they were unaware of the causes and etiologies of childhood blindness. Participants perceived that eye problems could be treated with hygiene and food, and often held misconceptions about the cause of strabismus and utilization of wearing spectacles.
The study revealed that parents are often unaware of the causes and etiologies of common childhood eye diseases, which has downstream effects on health-seeking behavior. Health promotion efforts, potentially through mass and social media, could be helpful to raise awareness, coupled with training of health professionals at primary and secondary health facility levels.
在低收入国家，大多数儿童失明的原因是可以治疗或预防的。父母或监护人负责做出与孩子的眼部护理相关的决定。了解父母对眼部问题的认识和看法对于了解他们的眼部保健寻求行为至关重要。
确定父母对儿童眼部健康的知识、态度和实践情况。
在埃塞俄比亚西北部进行了 7 个焦点小组，讨论父母对儿童眼部健康的知识、态度和实践。记录他们的回答，然后进行转录。采用主题现象学方法进行分析。
71 名家长参加了焦点小组。参与者了解常见的眼部问题，如沙眼、创伤和青光眼。然而，他们不知道儿童失明的原因和病因。参与者认为眼部问题可以通过卫生和饮食来治疗，并且经常对斜视的原因和戴眼镜的使用存在误解。
研究表明，父母往往不了解常见儿童眼病的原因和病因，这对寻求医疗保健的行为产生了下游影响。通过大众媒体和社交媒体进行健康宣传活动，再加上对初级和二级医疗机构卫生专业人员的培训，可能会有所帮助，以提高认识。
