Eye Health: A Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Survey in Takeo Province, Cambodia: Gender and Disability Differences

1. Gail Ormsby¹
2. Anna-Lena Arnold²
3. Nget Sarun³
4. Te Serey Bonn³
5. Manfred Mörchen³
6. Jill Keeffe¹

¹CBM Australia, Melbourne, Australia
²Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Australia
³Takeo Eye Provincial Hospital, Cambodia

Purpose: To investigate knowledge, attitude and practice regarding eye health in Takeo Province.

Methods: Thirty villages were randomly selected from 3 districts of Takeo province. Random walk method was used in villages. To find people with a disability, convenient sampling was used. Men and women from age groups: 50+; 30-49 and parents with children aged 0-5 years were surveyed. Questionnaire themes included: knowledge, practice and prevention of common eye diseases and accessibility, affordability of health care services.

Results: Health centre staff were the most frequently consulted service for eye problems (43%, 59/136). Twenty-five percent (148/599) of participants reported having a disability, with vision difficulty being the most common (74%, 109/148). Forty-nine percent (291/591) of participants did not know what the best treatment for cataract was, 21% (126/591) reported traditional medicine, 9.1 % (54/591) stated steam from boiling rice was best. Sixty-seven percent (407/594) of participants could not travel to the eye institute alone, this was higher among women and people with a disability (women: 70% vs men: 30%, p <0.001) (disability: 81% vs no disability: 63.8%, p <0.001). When asked if a child with vision impairment could attend school, 52% (310/598) reported 'yes', this belief was lower among men and people with a disability (men: 46% vs women: 55%, p =0.003), (disability: 34% vs no disability: 58%, p <0.001).

Conclusions: Barriers including knowledge, cultural practices and disability, hinder the prevention and treatment of eye diseases. To reach more vulnerable people, eye health promotion must be culturally sensitive and disability inclusive.