ISSN: 2578-465X
Authors: Mohammed S, Alemu HW* and Admasu F
Introduction: Cataract is the leading cause of blindness globally and accounts for half of the total blindness in Ethiopia. Despite being treatable, the need for knowledge about cataract and its treatment options is a barrier to timely service in developing countries. Improving community knowledge about cataracts can be vital in improving eye care-seeking behavior. Objective: To assess knowledge and associated factors about cataract among adults in Kombolcha, Northeast Ethiopia. Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study was implemented. A stratified multistage sampling technique was used to select 847 study participants aged 18 years or older. A face-to-face interview was applied using a pretested structured questionnaire in the Amharic language. The collected data was entered into Epidemiological Information version 7 and exported to the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20 for analysis. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression with odds ratio were used. Variables with a p-value of less than 0.05 in multivariable logistic regression were considered statistically significant predictors for knowledge about cataract. Results: A total of 771 participants completed the study with a response rate of 91%. Of the total, 86.0% were from urban kebeles, and 50.8% were female. The median age of the participants was 30 years. About 75.6% (583) of individuals were familiar with the word cataract. Overall 537 (69.6%, 95% CI: 66.3- 72.9) had good knowledge about cataract. Higher educational status (AOR: 6.041; 95% CI: 3.106-11.746), being married (AOR: 1.787; 95% CI: 1.174-2.721), history of a previous eye examination (AOR: 1.619; 95% CI: 1.053-2.488) and positive history of cataract (AOR: 10.443; 95% CI: 2.078-52.493) were factors significantly associated with good knowledge about cataract. Conclusion: Considerable proportion of study participants was knowledgeable about cataract. Higher educational status, being married, having a previous eye examination and having a positive history of cataract had a significantly positive association with good knowledge about cataract. Boosting knowledge about cataracts is required for the community segment without formal education.
Keywords: Associated Factors; Blindness; Cataract; Ethiopia; Knowledge
