Visual Health and its Relationship with Screen Time among School Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in Sarawak, Malaysia

Authors

  • Ting Siew Leng Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia
  • Rosalia Saimon Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Scienc-es, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia
  • Md Mizanur Rahman Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Scienc-es, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia
  • Razitasham bt Safii Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Scienc-es, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia
  • Ho Siat Lian Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia
  • Nancy John Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia
  • Lim Lik Thai Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia
  • Nazirin bin Arsad Department of Ophthalmology, Sarawak General Hospital, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v17i08.24607

Keywords:

Screen Time, Refractive Error, Visual Impairment

Abstract


Objective: This study intended to determine visual health of the school children and investigate its relationship with screen time. Methods: This was a school-based cross-sectional study using multistage cluster sampling. A self-reported and interviewer-administered questionnaire were used to compile screen time information. Children presenting visual acuity was evaluated with Snellen chart and non-cycloplegic refraction was performed to those acuities worse than 6/12. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 22. A p-value ≤0.05 with 95% CI was considered as statistically significant. Results: About 87% children had normal or near normal visual acuity and 13% had visual impairment. The prevalence of refractive error was 22.8%.  Astigmatism was the most prevailing type of refractive error, 10%. The children spent on average of 13.82 hours per week on screen time. Television is the most popular electronic devices. Boy spent more time on gaming consoles than girl. There was no statistically significant relationship between refractive error and screen time (p=0.581). Conclusion: The prevalence of refractive error among school children was 23%. The children spent nearly 14 hours per week on screen time. There was no statistically significant relationship between refractive error and screen time. Periodical children vision screening is paramount for early detection of vision impairment and provide possible intervention.

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Published

2021-08-16

How to Cite

Leng, T. S., Saimon, R., Rahman, M. M., Safii, R. bt, Lian, H. S., John, N., … Arsad, N. bin. (2021). Visual Health and its Relationship with Screen Time among School Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in Sarawak, Malaysia. International Journal of Online and Biomedical Engineering (iJOE), 17(08), pp. 168–175. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v17i08.24607

Issue

Section

Short Papers