Use of protective eyewear in U.S. children: Results from the national health interview survey

Purpose: To study use of protective eyewear in children who participated in activities that can cause eye injury. Methods: National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data from 2002 were used to analyze protective eyewear use by children who participated in activities that can cause eye injury. Weighted percentages and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the sociodemographic characteristics of children who wore protective eyewear were analyzed. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated in logistic regression models. Results: In the 2002 NHIS, 3,901 children aged 6-17 years (51% of interviewed children) participated in activities that can cause eye injury, but while doing so, only 14.5% of children wore protective eyewear. After controlling for potentially confounding effects of study variables, females were less likely to wear protective eyewear than males (OR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.48-0.76) and children aged 12-17 years were more likely to wear protective eyewear than children aged 6-8 years (12-14 year olds: OR= 1.72, 95% CI: 1.20-2.46; 15-17 year olds: OR = 1.60; 95% CI: 1.11-2.31). Race/ethnicity, parent's education, family structure, poverty status, and region of United States residence did not have significant influence on protective eyewear use. Conclusions: To achieve the Healthy People 2010 objective of 20% of children using protective eyewear in recreational activities and hazardous situations around the home, intervention/education programs must continue to be improved and implemented.