Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

The WHO-ITU MyopiaEd Programme: A Digital Message Programme Targeting Education on Myopia and Its Prevention

  • Stuart Keel*
  • , Pirindha Govender-Poonsamy
  • , Alarcos Cieza
  • , Hannah Faal
  • , Ian Flitcroft
  • , Kate Gifford
  • , Mingguang He
  • , Rajiv Khandekar
  • , Kovin Naidoo
  • , Matt Oerding
  • , Kyoko Ohno-Matsui
  • , Silvio Mariotti
  • , Christine Wildsoet
  • , James S. Wolffsohn
  • , Tien Y. Wong
  • , Sangchul Yoon
  • , Andreas Mueller
  • , Rosie Dobson
    • *Corresponding author for this work
  • Department of Noncommunicable Diseases, World Health Organization , Geneva , Switzerland
  • African Vision Research Institute, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
  • Temple Street Children’s Hospital, Dublin, Ireland,Centre for Eye Research Ireland (CERI) Technological University Dublin, Ireland
  • Myopia Profile Pty, Ltd , Brisbane, QLD , Australia
  • Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne , Melbourne, VIC , Australia
  • King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital , Riyadh , Saudi Arabia
  • African Vision Research Institute, University of KwaZulu Natal , Durban , South Africa; EssilorLuxottica , Paris , France
  • Global Myopia Awareness Coalition , Boulder, CO , United States
  • Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo , Japan
  • Berkeley Myopia Research Group, School of Optometry & Vision Science Program, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States.
  • Singapore National Eye Centre, Duke-NUS Medical School, National University of Singapore , Singapore , Singapore
  • Dept of Medical Humanities and Social Sciences, Yonsei University , Seoul , South Korea
  • National Institute for Health Innovation, University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

16   Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)
16 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the World Health Organization - International Telecommunication Union MyopiaEd programme - a digital message programme targeting education on myopia and its prevention. The development of the MyopiaEd programme included 4 key steps: (1) Conceptualization and consultation with experts in the field of myopia, mHealth and health behavior change; (2) Creation of SMS message libraries and programme algorithm; (3) Review of the message libraries to ensure relevance to the target audience; and (4) Pre-testing amongst end-user groups to ensure that the design of the programme and the message content were understandable. After reviewing the available evidence and considering input of the experts, the aims, end users and key themes of the programme were finalized. Separate SMS-adapted message libraries were developed, reviewed and pre-tested for four target end-user groups; (1) general population involved in the care of children (2) parents or caregivers of children with myopia; (3) adolescents with myopia; and (4) adults with myopia. The message libraries are part of a comprehensive toolkit, developed through a consultative process with experts in digital health, to support implementation within countries. The development of the MyopiaEd programme aims to provide a basis for Member States and other stakeholders to develop, implement and monitor large-scale mHealth programmes. It is aimed at raising awareness of good eye care behaviors and addressing common reasons for non-compliance to spectacle wear. The next steps will involve adapting and evaluating the MyopiaEd programme in selected settings.
Original languageEnglish
Article number881889
JournalFrontiers in Public Health
Volume10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 26 May 2022

Bibliographical note

© 2022 Keel, Govender-Poonsamy, Cieza, Faal, Flitcroft, Gifford, He, Khandekar, Naidoo, Oerding, Ohno-Matsui, Mariotti, Wildsoet, Wolffsohn, Wong, Yoon, Mueller and Dobson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

  • Public Health
  • myopia
  • mHealth
  • public health
  • digital health
  • behavior change
  • Caregivers
  • World Health Organization
  • Humans
  • Parents
  • Telemedicine
  • Myopia/prevention & control
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Child

Access to Document

  • The WHO-ITU MyopiaEd Programme

    © 2022 Keel, Govender-Poonsamy, Cieza, Faal, Flitcroft, Gifford, He, Khandekar, Naidoo, Oerding, Ohno-Matsui, Mariotti, Wildsoet, Wolffsohn, Wong, Yoon, Mueller and Dobson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    Final published version, 295 KBLicence: CC BY 4.0

Other files and links

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'The WHO-ITU MyopiaEd Programme: A Digital Message Programme Targeting Education on Myopia and Its Prevention'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
    View full fingerprint

    Cite this