AWARENESS OF GLAUCOMA AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG ADULTS IN SEKELA DISTRICT, NORTHWEST ETHIOPIA, JUNE 2018.

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Glaucoma is a global public health problem and it is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and the fifth cause of blindness in Ethiopia. Even though public awareness of glaucoma is a key for early case identification and prevention of blindness, it is unknown in the study area, making provision of interventions difficult. Objective: To assess awareness of glaucoma and associated factors among adults in Sekela district, Northwest Ethiopia, 2018 Methods: A Community based cross - sectional study design with systematic random sampling technique was used to select 632 adults. The study was conducted from April 25-May 05, 2018. Interviewer administered pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect data after verbal informed consent was taken. Data was entered into Epi Info version 7 and was analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23. Binary logistic regression model and adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence level was used to identify the actual factors of awareness of glaucoma. P– value ? 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: About 594 adults were participated with a response rate of 94.0%. Nearly 52% of the participants were females with median age of 28 years. The proportion of awareness was 24.4% [95% CI; 21.0, 28.1]. History of eye examination [AOR: 6.52; 3.46, 12.25], educational status: primary education [AOR: 3.15; 1.72, 5.77], secondary education [AOR; 3.11: 1.66, 5.84], college and above [AOR; 6.10; 2.80, 13.27], income level: > 2000 Ethiopian birr [ 4.65; 2.59, 8.37] and history of chronic diseases either DM or HTN or both [AOR; 2.93: 1.25, 6.85] were significantly associated with awareness of glaucoma. Conclusion and recommendation: About one fourth of adults were aware of glaucoma. Educational status, eye examination at least once in life, history of chronic diseases either DM or HTN or both and higher income level were positively associated with awareness of glaucoma. Recognizing the severity of glaucoma, enhancing awareness is paramount at the community. Key words: Awareness, Glaucoma, Associated factors, Sekela, Ethiopia.