Development of Educational Materials to Improve Rates of Early Eye Care for Hispanic Children

The purpose of this study was to develop targeted materials to encourage Hispanic parents to seek eye care for their children. Hispanic children present with high rates of eye problems such as astigmatism, strabismus, and amblyopia. Related vision impairment can be prevented with timely detection and treatment. After failing a vision screening, a child must obtain professional eye care to take care of the suspected problem. We involved Hispanic community members and health care experts in Alabama to develop educational materials to encourage Hispanic parents to seek eye care for their children. There were six stages in the development of the educational materials: (a) focus groups with Hispanic parents, (b) development of preliminary materials (c) panel with Hispanic health experts (d) panel with members of the target population (e) final production of materials (f) pilot testing of materials. The parents and health experts suggested the information should be provided in the form of radio announcements, brochures, and newspaper advertisements. They also noted the content should stress the importance of seeking vision care for children even when there were no visible problems. Materials developed through this project included messages designed to overcome specific barriers identified by Hispanic parents and to educate them on the importance of comprehensive eye care for all children, regardless of the presence of visible symptoms.