Use of protective eyewear in U.S. children: results from the National Health Interview Survey.
OBJECTIVE
To study use of protective eyewear in children who participated in activities that can cause eye injury.


METHODS
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data from 2002 were used to analyze protective eyewear use by children who participated in activities that can cause eye injury. Weighted percentages and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the sociodemographic characteristics of children who wore protective eyewear were analyzed. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated in logistic regression models.


RESULTS
In the 2002 NHIS, 3,901 children aged 6-17 years (51% of interviewed children) participated in activities that can cause eye injury, but while doing so, only 14.5% of children wore protective eyewear. After controlling for potentially confounding effects of study variables, females were less likely to wear protective eyewear than males (OR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.48-0.76) and children aged 12-17 years were more likely to wear protective eyewear than children aged 6-8 years (12-14 year olds: OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.20-2.46; 15-17 year olds: OR = 1.60; 95% CI: 1.11-2.31). Race/ethnicity, parent's education, family structure, poverty status, and region of United States residence did not have significant influence on protective eyewear use.


CONCLUSIONS
To achieve the Healthy People 2010 objective of 20% of children using protective eyewear in recreational activities and hazardous situations around the home, intervention/education programs must continue to be improved and implemented.
Matter
Kristen C
KC
Center for Injury Research and Policy, Columbus Children's Research Institute, Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Sinclair
Sara A
SA
Xiang
Huiyun
H
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control; D005135:Eye Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology