Rationale, design, methodology, and baseline data of a population-based study in rural China: the Handan Eye Study.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the rationale, design, methodology and baseline characteristics of the Handan Eye Study (HES), a population-based study to determine the prevalence and impact of visual impairment and major ocular diseases in Chinese adults living in a rural region north China.


METHODS
Population-based, cross-sectional study. 6830 Han people aged 30 years and older from 13 villages of Yongnian County, Handan city, Hebei province, China were recruited. The interviews covered demographic, behavioral, and ocular risk factors as well as health-related and vision-related quality of life. Ocular examination included measurement of visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure, anterior and posterior segment examinations, visual field testing, and anterior segment, fundus and optic disc photography/imaging. Physical examination included measurement of height and weight, blood pressure, electrocardiogram, fasting blood glucose, lipid levels, urea nitrogen and creatinine as well as tests of physical function including walking speed.


RESULTS
Of the 7557 individuals eligible for the Handan Eye Study (HES), 6830 (90.4%) subjects participated the study. The majority of participants were female (53.6%), the average (+/- standard deviation) age was 52.3 (+/- 12.3) years, and 100% were self-identified Han people. In contrast to the non-participants, those who participated were more likely to be female, elderly, married, and had more years of education (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The HES successfully examined over 90% of eligible Han Chinese adults aged 30 and older from a rural region of north China. Results from the HES will provide key information about the prevalence, risk factors, impact, and trends of ocular disease in rural regions of China.
Liang
Yuan Bo
YB
Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Science Key Lab, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Friedman
David S
DS
Wong
Tien Yin
TY
Wang
Feng Hua
FH
Duan
Xin Rong
XR
Yang
Xiao Hui
XH
Zhou
Qiang
Q
Tao
Qiushan
Q
Zhan
Si Yan
SY
Sun
Lan Ping
LP
Wang
Ning Li
NL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001824:Body Constitution; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014794:Visual Fields; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*