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Receipt of specialty eye care by children
Alex R Kemper1, David Bruckman, Gary L Freed
1The Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit, Division of General Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich 48109-0456, USA. kempera@med.umich.edu
Insights
Specialty eye care is common for children and increases with age. However, significant disparities exist among school-aged children based on sex and insurance status.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric ophthalmology
- Public health
- Health services research
Background:
- Nationally representative data on children's eye care utilization are lacking.
- Understanding patterns of eye care access is crucial for pediatric health.
- Specialty eye care is essential for early detection and management of vision impairments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of specialty eye care use in children.
- To examine associations between eye care utilization and demographic/socioeconomic factors.
- To identify disparities in access to pediatric eye care services.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of the 2000 National Health Interview Survey data.
- Estimation of eye care use in children aged 0-5 and 6-17 years.
- Logistic regression modeling to assess factors associated with eye care utilization in school-aged children.
Main Results:
- An estimated 7.3% of young children (0-5 years) and 24.8% of older children (6-17 years) received eye care.
- Girls and children with public insurance showed higher odds of receiving eye care.
- Socioeconomic status and insurance type significantly influenced eye care access, with disparities noted.
Conclusions:
- Specialty eye care use in children is prevalent and age-dependent.
- Significant variations in eye care access exist among school-aged children.
- Further research is needed to understand and address the causes and consequences of these disparities.
Background:
No nationally representative data are available regarding use of eye care services by children.
Objectives:
To determine the proportion of children who receive specialty eye care and to evaluate the association of such care with age and other factors associated with health care utilization.
Methods:
We used the 2000 National Health Interview Survey to estimate the proportion of nonblind children who received eye care in the preceding 12 months. The association between eye care and the factors of interest among children aged 6-17 years was measured through adjusted bivariate comparisons and logistic regression modeling.
Results:
Eye care was received in the preceding 12 months by an estimated 7.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.0-8.6) of the 22.8 million children aged 0-5 years and 24.8% (95% CI 23.5-26.2) of the 48.5 million children aged 6-17 years. Among children aged 6-17 years, girls had 29% greater odds than boys to have received eye care (P=.001). Among children <200% of the federal poverty level, those with public health insurance had greater odds of receiving eye care than did uninsured children or those with private health insurance (P<.001). Among children >200% of the federal poverty level, uninsured children had lower odds than did children with public or private health insurance (P<.004) to receive eye care. Well-child care was associated with increased eye care utilization among children aged 12-14 years (P<.001).
Conclusions:
Receipt of specialty eye care is common and increases with age. However, there are marked variations among school-aged children. Future studies should address the causes and effects of these findings.