TY - JOUR
T1 - Demographic factors associated with myopia knowledge, attitude and preventive practices among adults in Ghana
T2 - a population-based cross-sectional survey
AU - Osuagwu, Uchechukwu L.
AU - Ocansey, Stephen
AU - Ndep, Antor O.
AU - Kyeremeh, Sylvester
AU - Ovenseri-Ogbomo, Godwin
AU - Ekpenyong, Bernadine N.
AU - Agho, Kingsley E.
AU - Ekure, Edgar
AU - Mashige, Khathutshelo Percy
AU - Ogbuehi, Kelechi C.
AU - Rasengane, Tuwani
AU - Nkansah, Nana Darkoah
AU - Naidoo, Kovin Shunmugan
N1 - @The Author(s) 2023. Open Access
Funding Information:
Part of this article was presented as an abstract at the American Academy of Optometry Conference, in San Diego, USA 26 – 29 October 2022 (#167). We thank Dr Jyoti Naidoo, who is also a member of the consortium (CEPHII) for her administrative role. Consortium name: Centre for Eyecare & Public Health Intervention Initiative (CEPHII) Consortium member List: Uchechukwu L. Osuagwu1Bathurst Rural Clinical School (BRCS), School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Bathurst, NSW 2795, Australia. African Vision Research Institute, Discipline of Optometry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, 3629, South Africa Kingsley E. Agho7School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia. African Vision Research Institute, Discipline of Optometry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, 3629, South Africa Kelechi C. Ogbuehi10Department of Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Stephen Ocansey2Department of Optometry and Vision Science, School of Allied Health Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana. Sylvester Kyeremeh4,4Department of Optometry and Visual Science, College of Science, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana. Nana Darkoah Nkansah12Koforidua Regional Hospital, Koforidua, Eastern Region, Ghana. Godwin Ovenseri-Ogbomo5Department of Optometry, Centre for Health Sciences, University of the Highlands and Islands, Inverness, IV2 3JH, UK Antor O. Ndep3Health Education & Health Promotion Unit, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, College of Medical Sciences, University of Calabar, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. Bernadine N. Ekpenyong6Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Department of Public Health, University of Calabar, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. Edgar Ekure8Roberts Eyecare Associates, Vestal, New York, USA. Khathutshelo Percy Mashige9African Vision Research Institute, Discipline of Optometry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, 3629, South Africa Kovin Shunmugan Naidoo13School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Tuwani Rasengane11Department of Optometry, University of the Free State and Universitas Hospital, Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2023/9/4
Y1 - 2023/9/4
N2 - Purpose: Knowledge, positive attitude and good preventive practices are keys to successful myopia control, but information on these is lacking in Africa. This study determined the KAP on myopia in Ghana. Methods: This was a population-based cross-sectional survey conducted among adults (aged 18 years and older) living across 16 regions of Ghana between May and October 2021. Data on socio-demographic factors (sex, age, gender, level of education, working status, type of employment, monthly income, and region of residence), respondents’ awareness, and knowledge, attitude and preventive practices (KAP) about myopia were collected. Composite and mean scores were calculated from eleven knowledge (total score = 61), eight attitude (48), and nine preventive practice items (33). Differences in mean scores were assessed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and standardized coefficients (β) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), using multiple linear regression to determine the associations between the dependent (KAP) and demographic variables. Results: Of the 1,919 participants, mean age was 37.4 ± 13.4 years, 42.3% were aged 18–30 years, 52.6% were men, 55.8% had completed tertiary education, and 49.2% had either heard about myopia, or accurately defined myopia as short sightedness. The mean KAP scores were 22.9 ± 23.7, 33.9 ± 5.4, and 22.3 ± 2.8, respectively and varied significantly with many of the demographic variables particularly with age group, region, marital status, and type of employment. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed significant associations between region of residence and knowledge (β =—0.54, 95%CI:-0.87, -0.23, p < 0.001), attitude (β =—0.24, 95%CI:-0.35,-0.14, p < 0.001) and preventive practices (β = 0.07, 95%CI: 0.01, 0.12, p = 0.015). Preventive practices were also associated with type of employment (self-employed vs employee: β = 0.25, 95%CI: 0.15, 4.91, p < 0.05). Knowledge scores were significantly higher in those who lived in the Greater Accra (39.5 ± 18.5) and Eastern regions (39.1 ± 17.5) and lower among those who lived in the Upper West region (6.4 ± 15.6). Government employees and those with tertiary education had significantly higher mean knowledge scores compared with non-government employees (β = 4.56, 95%CI 1.22, 7.89, p = 0.007), and those with primary/no education (β = 18.35, 95%CI: 14.42, 22.27, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Ghanaian participants had adequate knowledge of myopia but showed poor attitude and low preventive practices, which varied significantly between regions and were modified by socio-demographic factors. Further research into how education can be used to stimulate Ghanaians’ engagement in preventive practices is needed.
AB - Purpose: Knowledge, positive attitude and good preventive practices are keys to successful myopia control, but information on these is lacking in Africa. This study determined the KAP on myopia in Ghana. Methods: This was a population-based cross-sectional survey conducted among adults (aged 18 years and older) living across 16 regions of Ghana between May and October 2021. Data on socio-demographic factors (sex, age, gender, level of education, working status, type of employment, monthly income, and region of residence), respondents’ awareness, and knowledge, attitude and preventive practices (KAP) about myopia were collected. Composite and mean scores were calculated from eleven knowledge (total score = 61), eight attitude (48), and nine preventive practice items (33). Differences in mean scores were assessed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and standardized coefficients (β) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), using multiple linear regression to determine the associations between the dependent (KAP) and demographic variables. Results: Of the 1,919 participants, mean age was 37.4 ± 13.4 years, 42.3% were aged 18–30 years, 52.6% were men, 55.8% had completed tertiary education, and 49.2% had either heard about myopia, or accurately defined myopia as short sightedness. The mean KAP scores were 22.9 ± 23.7, 33.9 ± 5.4, and 22.3 ± 2.8, respectively and varied significantly with many of the demographic variables particularly with age group, region, marital status, and type of employment. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed significant associations between region of residence and knowledge (β =—0.54, 95%CI:-0.87, -0.23, p < 0.001), attitude (β =—0.24, 95%CI:-0.35,-0.14, p < 0.001) and preventive practices (β = 0.07, 95%CI: 0.01, 0.12, p = 0.015). Preventive practices were also associated with type of employment (self-employed vs employee: β = 0.25, 95%CI: 0.15, 4.91, p < 0.05). Knowledge scores were significantly higher in those who lived in the Greater Accra (39.5 ± 18.5) and Eastern regions (39.1 ± 17.5) and lower among those who lived in the Upper West region (6.4 ± 15.6). Government employees and those with tertiary education had significantly higher mean knowledge scores compared with non-government employees (β = 4.56, 95%CI 1.22, 7.89, p = 0.007), and those with primary/no education (β = 18.35, 95%CI: 14.42, 22.27, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Ghanaian participants had adequate knowledge of myopia but showed poor attitude and low preventive practices, which varied significantly between regions and were modified by socio-demographic factors. Further research into how education can be used to stimulate Ghanaians’ engagement in preventive practices is needed.
KW - Attitude
KW - Ghana
KW - Knowledge
KW - Myopia
KW - Preventive practices
KW - Sub-Saharan Africa
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85169681910&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85169681910&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12889-023-16587-7
DO - 10.1186/s12889-023-16587-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 37667219
AN - SCOPUS:85169681910
SN - 1471-2458
VL - 23
JO - BMC Public Health
JF - BMC Public Health
IS - 1
M1 - 1712
ER -
