title: One year study on the integrative intervention of acupressure and interactive multimedia for visual health in school children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study used a larger sample size, added a long-term observation of the effect of intervention, and provided an integrated intervention of acupressure and interactive multimedia of visual health instruction for school children. The short- and long-term effects of the interventions were then evaluated by visual health knowledge, visual acuity, and refractive error.
  
  
  METHODS
  A repeated pretest-posttest controlled trial was used with two experimental groups and one control group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four elementary schools in northern Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  287 School children with visual impairment in fourth grade were recruited.
  
  
  METHODS
  One experimental group received the integrative intervention of acupressure and interactive multimedia of visual health instruction (ACIMU), and another received auricular acupressure (AC) alone; whereas a control group received no intervention. Two 10-week interventions were separately given in the fall and spring semesters. The short- and long-term effects of the interventions were then evaluated by visual health knowledge, visual acuity, and refractive error.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the school year the visual health knowledge was significantly higher in the ACIMU group than the control group (p<0.001). A significant difference in the changing visual acuity was in the three groups (p<0.001), with the improvement in the ACIMU group. No difference in the refractive error was found between any two groups (p>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrated that a long-term period of acupressure is required to improve school children's visual health. School children receiving the intervention of acupressure combined with interactive multimedia had better improvement of visual health and related knowledge than others. Further study is suggested in which visual health and preventative needs can be established for early childhood.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. meiling@ntunhs.edu.tw
authors.forename: Mei-Ling
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Hsing-Hsia
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yu-Chu
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D019050:Acupressure; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000628:therapy*; D014785:Vision, Ocular; D014792:Visual Acuity