Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding myopia prevention among primary school students in a province in...

This study assessed the prevalence of adequate knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices regarding myopia prevention among fourth-grade and fifth-grade students and investigated the relationships between these knowledge, attitude, and practice domains and student characteristics in a resource-constrained setting.

This cross-sectional study included fourth-grade and fifth-grade students at Nguy Nhu Primary School, Kon Tum City, Kon Tum Province, Vietnam, in 2023. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. A total of 545 students were included in the final analysis.

The proportion of participants with previously diagnosed myopia was 21.1%. Regarding myopia prevention, 66.6% of students had adequate knowledge, 35.6% had positive attitudes, and 56.7% demonstrated good practices. Female students were more likely than male students to have adequate knowledge (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29 to 1.65) and positive attitudes (aPR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.72 to 2.92). Adequate knowledge was associated with higher prevalences of both positive attitudes (aPR, 8.57; 95% CI, 4.51 to 16.57) and good practices (aPR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.59 to 2.42).

Categorical analysis suggested a mediating role for positive attitudes, but continuous sensitivity analysis indicated that this pathway was not statistically robust. The findings suggest that adequate general knowledge was the most direct and consistent correlate of good preventive practices, although cognitive overlap between knowledge and attitudes is expected in this age group. Interventions should prioritize actionable health literacy.