Refractive error and associated factors among Khmer primary school children in the Mekong Delta, Southern Vietnam in 2018

Abstract

The study aims to determine the prevalence of refractive errors and some habits of Khmer primary school children related to refractive errors. A cross - sectional study was conducted on 1,500 primary school children from October to December 2018 at 30 primary schools in 5 provinces of An Giang, Hau Giang, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, and Kien Giang. The results showed that 21.2% of children under study had refractive errors; among those, the prevalence was 14.8% for myopia, 0.3% for hyperopia, and 6.1% for astigmatism. Some factors related to refractive error in Khmer primary school students include sitting posture to write, reading distance, size of tables and chairs, outdoor activities at recess, resting eyes after 30 minutes of reading/writing, reading stories/books constantly, watching TV constantly, playing games constantly, participating in outdoor fun activities (p < 0.05). It is necessary to develop
interventions to change risk behaviors related to refractive errors in primary school children of Khmer ethnicity.