SOCIO-BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS OF THE POPULATION AS PREDICTORS OF TRAUMATIC EYE INJURIES: RESULTS OF A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF UKRAINIAN REGIONS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2786-7684/2026-1-17Keywords:
ocular trauma, socio-behavioral patterns, regional differences, prevention, personal protective equipment, injury predictors, UkraineAbstract
Introduction. About 200 thousand cases of eye injuries are registered annually, of which more than 15% lead to persistent vision loss or complete blindness. Behavioral factors play a leading role in the occurrence of eye injuries; however, their regional characteristics and prognostic significance in Ukraine remain poorly understood. Purpose: to determine regional differences in socio-behavioral patterns of the Ukrainian population and identify their prognostic significance for the occurrence of traumatic eye injuries. The study aimed to identify key behavioral predictors of ocular trauma and establish evidence-based recommendations for regional prevention programs. Materials and methods: A study was conducted in thirteen regions of Ukraine, representing five geographical macroregions: Western, Eastern, Central, Northern, and Southern. Data from official statistics of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine on 187,452 cases of eye injuries for 2020-2023 were used. A survey of 3,456 respondents aged 18-65 was conducted using a random sampling method. 1,587 medical records of patients with eye injuries in specialized hospitals were analyzed. The questionnaire included 45 questions about educational level, professional activity, frequency of use of personal protective equipment, alcohol consumption habits, self-assessment of the level of awareness of safety rules. Pearson correlation analysis, logistic regression to determine predictors, and cluster analysis using the k-means method were applied. Statistical processing was performed in IBM SPSS Statistics version 29. The study was conducted in compliance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Results: significant inter-regional differences in the frequency of eye injuries were found (from 16.2 to 30.8 per 10 thousand population). Lack of higher education increases the chances of injury by 2.4 times (OR=2.41; p<0.001), irregular use of protective equipment by 3.8 times (OR=3.79; p<0.001), and alcohol consumption by 3.2 times (OR=3.24; p<0.001). Cluster analysis identified two groups of regions with different behavioral patterns. The use of personal protective equipment in cases of occupational injuries was reported in only 23.8% of cases, with a variation ranging from 41.4% in the Lviv region to 10.9% in the Kherson region. Conclusions. Socio-behavioral characteristics of the population are key predictors of eye injuries. The identified clustering of regions enables the development of targeted prevention strategies for specific regions of Ukraine, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of interventions.
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