Knowledge, attitude and practice on refractive error among students attending public high schools in Nairobi County

Abstract

Objective: To determine the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) towards refractive error among high school students attending public schools in Nairobi, Kenya.

Methods: Population survey of secondary school year 3 students in Nairobi County. Students were selected using multistage random sampling. Sampled students were enrolled after obtaining informed consent. Participating students completed a self-administered semi structured questionnaire to obtain basic demographic data and determine their KAP towards refractive error.

Results: A total of 11 out of 80 eligible schools were selected and 1390 students enrolled into the study. The mean age of the students was 17 years, and 54% were males. Only 539 (39%) of the 1390 students had ever had an eye-checkup. Overall 418 (30.1%) of the students did not know whether they had normal vision or not, and 316 (22.7%) did not know where to seek eye-health services. The students believed, as reported by 526 (37.8%) students, that the most common reason for poor vision was inadequate nutrition. Spectacles were identified as the commonest method of correcting poor vision by 851 (61.2%) students. Of 427(30.7%) students who had been advised to wear spectacles during previous screenings, only 148 (10.5%) of them admitted to using spectacles, The commonest reasons for students failing to wear spectacles to correct poor vision were; fear of being teased and cost as reported by 529 (38.1%) and 488 (35.1%) students respectively. Generally, students had a positive attitude towards spectacles but the myths that spectacles can damage your eyes, lead to dependence, or worsen eyesight were still prevalent.

Conclusion: Accessibility and affordability of eye-health services are the major reasons for non-correction of low vision. There is also inadequate knowledge of refractive error as a cause of poor vision. However, attitudes towards spectacle use are generally positive.