Impact of a Local Vision Care Center on Glasses Ownership and Wearing Behavior in Northwestern Rural China: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

Yue Ma, Yujuan Gao, Yue Wang, Haoyang Li, Lina Ma, Jiangchao Jing, Yaojiang Shi, Hongyu Guan () and Nathan Congdon
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Yue Ma: Center for Experimental Economics in Education (CEEE), Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Yujuan Gao: Center for Experimental Economics in Education (CEEE), Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Yue Wang: Center for Experimental Economics in Education (CEEE), Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Haoyang Li: Center for Experimental Economics in Education (CEEE), Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Lina Ma: School of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
Jiangchao Jing: School of Public Administration, Northwestern University, Xi’an 710127, China
Nathan Congdon: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Division of Preventive Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, China

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 12, 1-12

Abstract: Visual impairment is common among rural Chinese children, but fewer than a quarter of children who need glasses actually own and use them. To study the effect of rural county hospital vision centers (VC) on self-reported glasses ownership and wearing behavior (primary outcome) among rural children in China, we conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial at a VC in the government hospital of Qinan County, a nationally-designated poor county. All rural primary schools ( n = 164) in the county were invited to participate. Schools were randomly assigned to either the treatment group to receive free vision care and eyeglasses, if needed, or control group, who received glasses only at the end of the study. Among 2806 eligible children with visiual impairment (visual acuity ≤ 6/12 in either eye), 93 (3.31%) were lost to follow-up, leaving 2713 students (45.0% boys). Among these, glasses ownership at the end of the school year was 68.6% among 1252 treatment group students (82 schools), and 26.4% ( p < 0.01) among 1461 controls (82 schools). The rate of wearing glasses was 55.2% in the treatment group and 23.4% ( p < 0.01) among the control group. In logistic regression models, treatment group membership was significantly associated with spectacle ownership (Odds Ratio [OR] = 11.9, p < 0.001) and wearing behavior (OR = 7.2, p < 0.001). County hospital-based vision centers appear effective in delivering childrens’ glasses in rural China.

Keywords: visual impairment; vision center; cluster-randomized controlled; eyeglass ownership and wearing behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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