The prevalence of myopic refractive error and its associated risk factors among primary school students in a community in Shanghai

Objective To analyze the prevalence of myopic refractive error and its associated risk factors among primary school students in Shanghai Minhang Distict.

Methods A total of 11 356 primary school students who participated in the children's refraction screening project in Meilong Community， Minhang District， Shanghai from January 1 to December 31， 2019 were selected for visual inspection and computer optometry

Results The detection rate of myopic refractive error among 6-10 year-old students was 45.59%， with a higher rate in girls and older age group. The detection rates of 6-10 year-old students were 22.88% （6 year-old）， 31.77% （7 year-old）， 47.62% （8 year-old）， 60.53% （9 year-old） and 69.84% （10 year-old）， respectively， showing a linear trend（χ²=1.31， P<0.001）. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that myopic refractive error was statistically significantly associated with gender， age and parents' myopic. Birth weight， preterm birth and body mass index （BMI） had no influence on refractive myopic in primary school students.

Conclusion Myopic refractive error is still a major public health problem in primary school students. A combined strategies for myopic refractive error reduction should be called to focus on high risk persons and behaviors.