Prevalence of Vision Problems Among School-Entering Children and Association with Socio-Demographic Characteristics: An Iranian Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Purpose: Early detection of visual disorders in children and related factors is important to minimize future problems in academic performance and social life. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of vision problems among school-entering children, and their association with socio-demographic characteristics.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Qazvin province between June and November 2023. The research participants were school-entering children and their parents recruited using random quota multi-stage sampling. Data were collected by interviewing parents including demographic characteristics, children's vision status, family history of vision problems, and daily hours of using the internet and/or playing videogames by children. Data were analyzed using multivariate multi-nominal logistic regression.

Results: A total of 5141 parents of school-entering children participated. The prevalence of wearing glasses and suspected visual impairment was 2.2% and 6.7%, respectively. The odds of using eyeglasses among boys was 38% lower than among girls (p = 0.014). The odds of using eyeglasses was 3.5 times higher if there was a history of vision disorders in other children in the family (p < 0.001) and 90% more likely if there was a history of vision disorders among the parents (p = 0.002). The odds of using eyeglasses increased 5% with each unit increase in children's BMI. The odds of suspected vision problems increased by 39% and 3% with each year of age of the child and their mother (p = 0.001 and p = 0.034 respectively). The odds of suspected visual problems was 90% higher among urban vs. rural children (p < 0.001) and 58% higher if there was a history of vision disorders among other children in the family (p = 0.029).

Conclusion: The present study identified socio-demographic predictors of having vision disorder among school-entering children based on information provided by their parents. Although vision health screening is carried out as part of the health assessment program for children upon entering school in Iran, high-risk individuals should not to postpone their children's vision examinations until they enter school and should have eye examinations at a younger age.