{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T03:47:02Z","timestamp":1787024822592,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"JMIR Publications Inc.","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JMIRx Med"],"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>\n \n Background<\/jats:title>\n The use of eye care services varies among different population groups.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objective<\/jats:title>\n This study aimed to assess self-reported eye care use (ECU) and associated demographic factors among Malawian adults.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n This study used secondary data from the Malawi Fifth Integrated Household Survey 2019-2020, a nationally representative survey. The study included 12,288 households and 27,336 individuals 15 years and older. We entered age, sex, level of education, residency (urban\/rural), and chronic disease into a logistic regression model, and used a confusion matrix to predict the model\u2019s accuracy. A\n P<\/jats:italic>\n value <.05 was considered statistically significant.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n About 60.6% (95% CI 60.0%-61.2%) of those with eye problems accessed formal care 2 weeks before the survey date. A logistic regression model showed that ECU was positively associated with education compared to none (odds ratio [OR] 6.6, 95% CI 5.927-7.366;\n P<\/jats:italic>\n <.001), males compared to females (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.104-1.290;\n P<\/jats:italic>\n <.001), and urban residence compared to rural (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.118-1.375;\n P<\/jats:italic>\n <.001). ECU was negatively associated with age (OR 7, 95% CI 6.782-8.476;\n P<\/jats:italic>\n <.001) and having chronic diseases (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.547-0.708;\n P<\/jats:italic>\n <.001).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n Social support, women empowerment, education, and mobile clinics are key strategic areas that would increase access to eye care in Malawi. Further studies can investigate ECU among the pediatric population.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.2196\/44381","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,11]],"date-time":"2024-04-11T07:26:50Z","timestamp":1712820410000},"page":"e44381-e44381","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Eye Care Service Use and Associated Health-Seeking Behaviors Among Malawian Adults: Secondary Analysis of the Malawi Fifth Integrated Household Survey 2019-2020"],"prefix":"10.2196","volume":"5","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0011-269X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Thokozani","family":"Mzumara","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4704-2649","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marios","family":"Kantaris","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2335-6558","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joseph","family":"Afonne","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1010","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,9]]},"reference":[{"issue":"4","key":"R1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e489","DOI":"10.1016\/S2214-109X(20)30488-5","article-title":"The Lancet Global Health Commission on global eye health: vision beyond 2020","volume":"9","author":"Burton","journal-title":"Lancet Glob Health"},{"issue":"18","key":"R2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph16183371","article-title":"Utilization of secondary eye care services in Western Kenya","volume":"16","author":"Rono","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"issue":"4","key":"R3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0019226","article-title":"Findings from a rapid assessment of avoidable blindness (RAAB)","volume":"6","author":"Kalua","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"7","key":"R4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"717","DOI":"10.1001\/jamaophthalmol.2021.0527","article-title":"Prevalence of visual acuity loss or blindness in the US: a Bayesian meta-analysis","volume":"139","author":"Flaxman","journal-title":"JAMA Ophthalmol"},{"issue":"5","key":"R5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"333","DOI":"10.3109\/09286586.2015.1077259","article-title":"Poverty and blindness in Nigeria: results from the national survey of blindness and visual impairment","volume":"22","author":"Tafida","journal-title":"Ophthalmic Epidemiol"},{"issue":"4","key":"R6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0231616","article-title":"Eye care service utilization and associated factors among older adults in Hawassa City, South Ethiopia","volume":"15","author":"Morka","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"3","key":"R7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"306","DOI":"10.18502\/jovr.v18i3.13779","article-title":"Eye care utilization among older subjects with visual impairment in Northwest Ethiopia","volume":"18","author":"Kegne Assaye","journal-title":"J Ophthalmic Vis Res"},{"key":"R8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gellman MD . 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