Studies from East Carolina University Have Provided New Data on Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (Unmet Needs for Vision Care Among Children With Gaps In Health Insurance Coverage): Pediatrics – Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus

2022 AUG 31 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Researchers detail new data in Pediatrics - Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. According to news reporting originating in Greenville, North Carolina, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Access to vision care is essential for diagnosing and treating vision impairments. Gaps in health insurance coverage may prevent children from receiving vision care and lead to unmet needs for vision services.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from East Carolina University, “This study used deidentified data on children 3-17 years of age from the 2016-2019 National Survey of Children’s Health. The primary outcome was caregiver-reported unmet needs for vision care in the previous 12 months. Based on a sample of 106,876 children, 3.8% of US children had a recent gap in coverage, and 5.0% lacked insurance in the entire year leading up to the survey. The estimated population prevalence of caregiver-reported unmet needs for vision care was 0.7%. However, children with gaps in coverage had almost 19-fold higher odds of having caregiver-reported unmet vision care needs (OR = 18.7; 95% CI, 11.5-30.2; P< 0.001), and children with a complete lack of coverage also had a ninefold higher odds of caregiver-reported unmet vision care needs (OR = 9.5; 95% CI, 5.5-16.4; P< 0.001), compared to children with year-round private coverage. In the 2018-2019 data, results were similar when analyzing completion of routine vision testing within the past 12 months.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Children with gaps in coverage had the highest likelihood of caregiver-reported unmet vision care needs compared with children with year-round coverage or children with year-round lack of coverage.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Unmet Needs for Vision Care Among Children With Gaps In Health Insurance Coverage. Journal of American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, 2022;26(2). Journal of American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus can be contacted at: Mosby-elsevier, 360 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010-1710, USA.

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Mufida Muhammad, East Carolina University, Brody School of Medicine, Dept. of Pediatrics, Greenville, NC 27858, United States.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaapos.2021.12.005. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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