title: Why are children brought late for cataract surgery? Qualitative findings from Tanzania.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Worldwide, at least 190,000 children are blind due to cataract. Although, surgical intervention is the treatment of choice, in most developing countries the number of children with cataract being brought to hospital for surgery has been few in number, considerably less than the burden of disease in the community. Furthermore, long delay in presentation is a major deterrent to improved visual outcome and compromises the future quality of life of children and their families. The main objective of this qualitative study was to provide a better understanding of surgical delay in the care of children with congenital or developmental cataract.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted 117 semi-structured interviews with parents or guardians of children admitted for cataract surgery at a tertiary hospital in northern Tanzania.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified several factors influencing the treatment-seeking behaviors of parents and guardians, including gender relations within the household, local health beliefs about cataract and cataract surgery and the ability of health care professionals in primary and secondary care settings to adequately inform parents and guardians about cataract and cataract surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Practical, short and medium term avenues must be explored to reduce delays of presentation. Public education, training of health workers and counseling efforts in the communities may be necessary to enable children to access services in a timely fashion.
authors.affiliation: Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bronsard
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Geneau
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shirima
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Courtright
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mwende
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000592:standards; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000639:trends*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors