Abstract
Purpose :
To identify how social determinants of health relate with the likelihood of a parent or guardian reporting a child has had a vision test within the last 12 months
Methods :
National data from the 2016-2020 National Survey of Children’s Health were obtained through the National Survey of Children’s Health online database. The analysis looked at age, sex, race, household income status, household education status, insurance status, family resilience, and reported adverse childhood events as indirect measures of social determinants of health. Data for each measure across each year were evaluated using a chi square test, while differences over the five years were analyzed through a multiyear logistic regression.
Results :
The odds of reporting a vision test decreased by 10% each year. Age, sex, income status, adverse childhood events, and insurance status demonstrated a significant correlation with reporting a vision test for a child in each of the 5 years analyzed (all p <0.05). Family resilience did not show a significant correlation with reporting a vision test for a child in each of the 5 years analyzed. Males were less likely to have a reported vision test and the likelihood of a reported vision test increased with age. Data from 2016-2018 showed that over 50% of the people who reported being uninsured still reported a vision test, but in 2019 and 2020 less than 50% of those who are uninsured reported a vision test.
Conclusions :
Social determinants of health impact children's likelihood of receiving vision care and understanding how these determinants impact this likelihood allows for better policy and programs to achieve visual health equity for children.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.