Using Social Media to Educate Parents About Myopia Risks
By Jean Shaw
Selected and Reviewed by Neil M. Bressler, MD, and Deputy Editors
Journal Highlights
JAMA Ophthalmology, November 2021
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Can social media play a role in raising parents’ awareness of the risks of myopia among children? Li et al. evaluated the effectiveness of school-based family health education delivered via WeChat. They found that weekly messages to parents, sent via WeChat, resulted in a small decrease in the two-year cumulative incidence of myopia.
The researchers recruited grade 1 students from 12 primary schools in Guangzhou, China, and randomized them into intervention (n = 688) and control (n = 752) groups. Parents of the children in the intervention group received weekly educational messages, such as reminders to limit their children’s electronic screen time and to encourage them to play outside. Eye examinations were performed by optometrists and ophthalmologists who were blinded to the group randomization.
The primary outcome was the two-year cumulative incidence rate of myopia; secondary outcomes included changes in axial length and spherical equivalent (SE) refractive error as well as changes in the children’s behavior.
All told, 1,244 children completed the study, with 544 in the intervention group. The cumulative incidence rate of myopia differed by 4.9% between the two groups (19.5% in the intervention group and 24.4% of controls). The mean myopic shift in SE refraction was less than .25 D between the two groups and was not accompanied by any differences in axial length.
The researchers noted that it remains to be determined whether these results can be extrapolated to other populations outside China. In addition, they said, the long-term impact that such efforts might have on myopia control are unknown. (Also see related commentary by Clair A. Enthoven, PhD, Ivonne P.M. Derks, PhD, and Jan Roelof Polling, BSc, in the same issue.)
The original article can be found here.