Glaucoma Awareness and Knowledge, and Attitude to Screening, in a Rural Community in Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Open Access
- 1 January 2016
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Scientific Research Publishing, Inc. in Open Journal of Ophthalmology
- Vol. 06 (02), 119-127
- https://doi.org/10.4236/ojoph.2016.62017
Abstract
Awareness, knowledge, beliefs and the sociocultural and religious practices, are believed to influence the treatment-seeking behavior of people as well as their uptake of services. This study was carried out to assess the awareness and knowledge about glaucoma, and the attitude to glaucoma screening in Nchokko village in Igbeagu community, Izzi Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS 22. Results show that a total of 402 respondents— 228 (56.7%) women and 174 (43.3%) men—were interviewed. The mean age of respondents was 31.7 ± 11.9 years; 82.8% of the respondents had secondary education or less; 53% were married; and 38.1% were farmers. Only 21.1% of the respondents were aware of glaucoma. Gender, education, and positive family history were significantly associated with awareness. Only 6.3% of the respondents had good knowledge about the disease. A large proportion of respondents (62.1%) exhibited a positive attitude towards glaucoma screening; however, only 5% had ever undergone glaucoma screening. We conclude that glaucoma awareness and knowledge were poor in this rural community, but a high proportion of respondents had a positive attitude towards glaucoma screening. We therefore recommend a focused community health education campaign that will raise awareness and impart adequate knowledge about glaucoma. Eye care providers should make use of every opportunity to convey information on glaucoma to patients.Keywords
This publication has 17 references indexed in Scilit:
- Glaucoma awareness and knowledge in a tertiary care hospital in a tier-2 city in South IndiaJournal of the Scientific Society, 2013
- Glaucoma awareness among people attending ophthalmic outreach services in Southwestern EthiopiaBMC Ophthalmology, 2010
- Poor public health knowledge about glaucoma: fact or fiction?Eye, 2009
- Determinants of glaucoma awareness and knowledge in urban ChennaiIndian Journal of Ophthalmology, 2009
- Patient education in glaucoma: what do patients know about glaucoma?Arquivos Brasileiros de Oftalmologia, 2006
- The number of people with glaucoma worldwide in 2010 and 2020British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2006
- Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Presentation at a Tertiary Unit in Africa: Intraocular Pressure Levels and Visual StatusOphthalmic Epidemiology, 2005
- Knowledge of glaucoma, and its relationship to self‐care practices, in a population sampleAustralian and New Zealand Journal of Ophthalmology, 1995
- An analysis of referral routes and diagnostic accuracy in cases of suspected glaucomaOphthalmic Epidemiology, 1994
- Audit of patients' awareness of ophthalmic diagnoses.Heart, 1993