Teacher-to-parent communication and vision care-seeking behaviour among primary school students

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Public Health
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Student vision care is crucial for academic success and overall well-being.
• Effective communication channels between schools and parents are vital for addressing student health issues.
• Undiagnosed vision problems, such as refractive errors, can significantly impact a child's development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between teacher-to-parent communication and vision care-seeking behavior in primary school students.
• To determine if parental awareness of a child's vision problem influences their engagement in seeking eye care.
• To evaluate the impact of different communication methods (teacher-only, student-only, or both) on vision care utilization.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 19,934 primary school students across 252 schools in western China.
• Data collected via questionnaires and vision examinations.
• Students with uncorrected refractive error were categorized based on how parents were informed of their vision status.

Main Results:

• Among 2,922 valid responses, 42.3% of parents were unaware of their child's vision problems.
• Teacher-to-parent communication informed 35.9% of parents.
• Informing parents solely through teachers increased odds of eye exams (OR=1.499) and spectacle ownership (OR=1.755).
• Informing parents through both teachers and students yielded the highest odds for eye exams (OR=5.565) and spectacle ownership (OR=7.935).

Conclusions:

• Parental knowledge of student vision problems is a critical determinant of seeking vision care.
• Teacher-to-parent communication demonstrates a positive correlation with increased vision care-seeking behavior.
• Direct communication from teachers serves as a significant pathway for parents to become aware of and address their children's vision needs.