Table 1.
Distribution of age and sex among young people in rural China in study of refraction. Figures are numbers (percentage) of participants
| Characteristic | Agreed to participate | Refused to participate‡ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible* | Ineligible† | Total | ||
| Age (years): | ||||
| 12-13 | 31 (5) | 21 (4) | 52 (4) | 12 (3) |
| 14 | 179 (27) | 140 (27) | 319 (27) | 74 (17) |
| 15 | 286 (43) | 239 (46) | 525 (44) | 167 (39) |
| 16 | 130 (19) | 93 (18) | 223 (19) | 137 (32) |
| 17-19 | 46 (7) | 23 (5) | 69 (6) | 35 (8) |
| Mean (SD) | 14.9 (0.98) | 14.9 (0.92) | 14.9 (0.95) | 15.3 (0.97) |
| Sex: | ||||
| Male | 276 (41) | 288 (56) | 564 (48) | 279 (66) |
| Female | 396 (59) | 228 (44) | 624 (53) | 146 (34) |
| Total | 672 (57) | 516 (43) | 1188 (74) | 425 (26) |
*Uncorrected visual acuity ≤6/12 in one or both eyes.
†More likely to be girls (adjusted odds ratio 1.85, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.67; P=0.002). Groups did not differ by age (P=0.151).
‡More likely to be boys (2.04; P=0.001) but did not differ significantly by age (1.37; P=0.090) compared with those who agreed to take part.