Caregivers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward pediatric dry eye disease: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate caregivers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) concerning pediatric dry eye disease. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Pediatric Ophthalmology Outpatient Department of Yuxi People's Hospital between December 2023 and April 2024. Demographic data and KAP scores were collected through questionnaires. RESULTS: A total of 515 valid questionnaires were collected. Of these, 393 respondents (76.31%) were mothers of the children, and 319 children (61.94%) had suffered from dry eye for less than three months. The participants' mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 7.57 ± 4.14 (possible range: 0-18), 36.76 ± 3.51 (possible range: 9-45), and 40.99 ± 7.13 (possible range: 11-55), respectively. Knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were significantly correlated with each other (all P < 0.001). Mediation analysis showed that knowledge (β = 0.19, P < 0.001), income (β = 0.75, P < 0.001), and marital status (β = 1.63, P = 0.001) were statistically associated with attitude. Meanwhile, knowledge (β = 0.51, P < 0.001), attitude (β = 0.55, P < 0.001), and residence (β = 1.51, P < 0.001) were statistically associated with practice. Further, knowledge (β = 0.10, P < 0.001), income (β = 0.38, P < 0.001), marital status (β = 0.83, P = 0.004) showed statistically modeled indirect associations with practice within the specified mediation framework. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that caregivers exhibit inadequate knowledge but generally positive attitudes and moderately adequate yet inconsistent practices towards pediatric dry eye disease. The findings suggest that targeted educational programs may help address caregivers' knowledge gaps and support more appropriate management practices for pediatric dry eye disease.