TALK 2 Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of refractive errors among school-age children in Vietnam
Year: 2025
Type: review
Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis
Abstract: Background Refractive error (Rx) can affect children’s visual development globally including Vietnam – a developing country in Southeast Asia. This study systematically reviews the evidence and provides a meta-analysis of Rx prevalence among school-age children across the country.Methods This review is developed following 2020 PRISMA guidelines. The protocol was registered prior to commencement (PROSPERO ID: CRD42024524780). Online databases including Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and CINAHL were systematically searched for all studies published on Rx prevalence in Vietnamese children up to April 2024 in either English or Vietnamese, and the quality of included studies was assessed using the STROBE checklist. A random effect meta-analysis was performed to estimate the pooled prevalence in different groups of children.Results Among 327 relevant studies identified, 6 school-based studies including 15,825 children aged 6-16 years old were eligible for meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of Rx, myopia, and hyperopia were calculated as 38% (95%CI: 28-47%), 29% (95%CI: 19-38%), and 3% (95%CI: 0-7%) respectively. The Rx prevalence was estimated higher for urban regions than rural areas (43.1% (12.5-73.7) vs 17.3% (15.5-19.2), respectively, χ2: 233.01,p<0.001) and greater in girls than in boys (45.17% (24.3-66.0) vs 37.4% (18.1-56.7), respectively, χ2: 288.1, p<0.001).Conclusion This is the first ever systematic review and meta-analysis of Rx prevalence in Vietnamese children, and provides valuable evidence about the current national situation for the Vietnam National Strategy for Blindness Prevention by 2030. The result indicates a significant prevalence of Rx in school children in both urban and rural areas, especially childhood myopia
Authors: Hai-Yen Thi Nguyen, Neema Ghorbani-Mojarrad, Matthew Cufflin, Edward Mallen
Institution: University of Bradford
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4412406280