Relationship between Refraction, Anthropometrics, and Educational Status in a Nigerian Young Adult Population

The study aimed at determining the relationship between refraction and anthropometric measurements and the relationship between the level of education and refractive status in a Nigerian young adult population.

Healthy volunteers from the students and staff of a teaching hospital in South-Western Nigeria were studied. Demographic profiles including participants' highest educational status, parental educational level, and the age at first formal school enrollment were documented. The height and weight of the participants were measured. Noncycloplegic objective refraction was determined with autorefractor, and the spherical equivalent refraction (SER) of the right eye was used for analysis. SPSS 16 was used to explore the relationships between refraction, height, weight, and body mass index and the educational status of the participants.

Two hundred and thirty-nine adults with a mean age of 28.4 ± 6.5 years comprising 116 males and 123 females were studied. The mean height, weight, body mass index, and right eye SER were 1.7 ± 0.1 m, 64.4 ± 12.2 kg, 23.6 ± 4.3 kg/m², and -0.8 ± 1.4 D, respectively. Height was negatively correlated with the SER (R = -0.3, P < 0.01) in males but not in females. Refraction was not significantly related to weight or body mass index. Participants with higher levels of education were more likely to be myopic. Higher parental education and early formal school enrollment were significantly associated with myopia.

This study demonstrated a significant positive relationship between height and myopia in male participants but not in females. Individual as well as parental higher levels of education have also shown a positive association with myopic tendency.