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

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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.

Keywords

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

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