Knowledge, attitude, and practice of parents of 3- to 5-year-olds regarding preschool vision and eye screening of kindergarten children in Al-Qassim Province, Saudi Arabia-a survey.

PURPOSE

To assess the level and determinants of knowledge, attitude, and practice for eye and vision screening of preschool children among parents in Al-Qassim Province, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

Parents of kindergartners were surveyed in 2023. Questions relating to knowledge (10), attitude (5), and practice (5) of vision screening were asked. Answers were graded on a five-point Likert scale, where 1 indicates strong disagreement and 5 indicates strong agreement; results were analyzed with regard to family demographics and child refractive status.

RESULTS

A total of 214 parents were surveyed, representing 214 households. Level of knowledge was good or very good in 66.2%, attitude was positive in 41%, and practice was acceptable in 72.2% of respondents. The median knowledge score was 4.0 (IQR, 3.5-4.0), median attitude score was 3.0 (IQR, 3.0-4.0), and median practice score was 4.0 (IQR, 3.0-4.0). Education and family income were associated with practice scores ( <0.001 [Kruskal-Wallis test]). Refractive error status of the father was significantly associated with a positive attitude toward eye and vision screening of preschool children ( = 0.015 [Kruskal-Wallis]). Main sources of knowledge included ophthalmologists (49.5%), social media (16.4%), Google search (10.7%), and optometrists (10.7%); preferred sources of knowledge were ophthalmologists (60.3%) and optometrists (22.4%). Social media, computers, primary health care center staff, and opticians were less desired sources of information.

CONCLUSIONS

Parental knowledge on eye and vision screening for children in Al-Qassim Province has room to improve, and negative attitudes must be addressed. Practice for eye care in preschoolers was promising for adoption of universal preschool vision initiatives.