Korean J Child Health Nurs.  2003 Jul;9(3):294-300.

Predicting and Understanding School-Age Children's Visual Health Behavior

• Shin HS

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of the study was to investigate the status of visual health behavior of school-age children and to identify the predicting variables of the school-age children's visual health behavior. METHOD: The subject was 764 children in grades 4 to 6, enrolled in 2 elementary schools located in urban area. The data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, correlation analysis, and stepwise multiple regression. RESULT: The findings were as follows: 1. The mean of the score of the visual health behavior of school-age children was 41.59(SD=7.22) and there was a significant difference according to grade. 2. There were significant correlations between visual health behavior and self-efficacy for visual health behavior (r=.51, p=.000), motivation for visual health(r=.45, p=.000), perceived benefits(r= .34, p=.000), self-concept(r=.32, p=.000), knowledge of visual health(r=.30, p=.000), health perception for vision(r=.16, p=.000), health locus of control(r=.11, p=.002), and perceived barriers(r=.-.12, p=.000). 3. Self-efficacy for visual health behaviors, knowledge of visual health, motivation for visual health, self-concept, health perception for vision, and perceived benefits were identified as predictor variables of the visual health behavior of the school-age children from the stepwise multiple regression analysis. The total percent of variance accounted by these 6 variables were 36.9%.
CONCLUSION
From the result, it is suggested that the development of comprehensive visual health education program including the component of self-efficacy, health motivation and self-concept to promote the visual health of school-age children.

MeSH Terms

Child
Health Behavior*
Health Education
Humans
Motivation
Self Concept
Child Health