Associations between near work, outdoor activity, parental myopia and myopia among school children in Aba, Nigeria

To assess the influence of near work, time outdoor and parental myopia on the prevalence of myopia in school children in Aba, Nigeria. Primary and secondary school children aged between 8 and 15y were randomly recruited from 12 schools in Aba. Information on family history, near work and outdoor activity was obtained using myopia risk factor questionnaire. Cycloplegic refraction was performed using autorefraction technique. Myopia was defined as spherical equivalent refraction (SER) ≤-0.50 D in the poorer eye. Data were analysed for 1197 (male: 538 and female: 659) children with full relevant data. Risk of developing myopia was positively associated with parental myopia [odds ratio (OR): 6.80; 95%CI, 2.76-16.74;