Time spent outdoors in childhood is associated with reduced risk of myopia as an adult

Lingham, G; Yazar, S; Lucas, RM; Milne, E; Hewitt, AW; Hammond, CJ; MacGregor, S; Rose, KA; Chen, FK; He, M; Guggenheim, JA; Clarke, MW; Saw, S-M; Williams, C; Coroneo, MT; Straker, L; Mackey, DA

Time spent outdoors in childhood is associated with reduced risk of myopia as an adult

Lingham, G Yazar, S Lucas, RM Milne, E Hewitt, AW Hammond, CJ MacGregor, S Rose, KA Chen, FK He, M Guggenheim, JA Clarke, MW Saw, S-M Williams, C Coroneo, MT Straker, L Mackey, DA

Permalink

Publisher:: Nature Publishing Group
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Scientific Reports, 2021, 11, (1), pp. 1-11
Issue Date:: 2021-03-18

Open Access

Copyright Clearance Process

Recently Added
In Progress
Open Access

This item is open access.

Adobe PDF

Download full textAdobe PDF (1.55 MB)

View on publisher's site

View statistics

Full metadata record

Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Lingham, G
dc.contributor.author	Yazar, S
dc.contributor.author	Lucas, RM
dc.contributor.author	Milne, E
dc.contributor.author	Hewitt, AW
dc.contributor.author	Hammond, CJ
dc.contributor.author	MacGregor, S
dc.contributor.author	Rose, KA
dc.contributor.author	Chen, FK
dc.contributor.author	He, M
dc.contributor.author	Guggenheim, JA
dc.contributor.author	Clarke, MW
dc.contributor.author	Saw, S-M
dc.contributor.author	Williams, C
dc.contributor.author	Coroneo, MT
dc.contributor.author	Straker, L
dc.contributor.author	Mackey, DA
dc.date.accessioned	2021-12-06T00:14:47Z
dc.date.available	2021-02-25
dc.date.available	2021-12-06T00:14:47Z
dc.date.issued	2021-03-18
dc.identifier.citation	Scientific Reports, 2021, 11, (1), pp. 1-11
dc.identifier.issn	2045-2322
dc.identifier.issn	2045-2322
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/152112
dc.description.abstract	Myopia (near-sightedness) is an important public health issue. Spending more time outdoors can prevent myopia but the long-term association between this exposure and myopia has not been well characterised. We investigated the relationship between time spent outdoors in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood and risk of myopia in young adulthood. The Kidskin Young Adult Myopia Study (KYAMS) was a follow-up of the Kidskin Study, a sun exposure-intervention study of 1776 children aged 6–12 years. Myopia status was assessed in 303 (17.6%) KYAMS participants (aged 25–30 years) and several subjective and objective measures of time spent outdoors were collected in childhood (8–12 years) and adulthood. Index measures of total, childhood and recent time spent outdoors were developed using confirmatory factor analysis. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between a 0.1-unit change in the time outdoor indices and risk of myopia after adjusting for sex, education, outdoor occupation, parental myopia, parental education, ancestry and Kidskin Study intervention group. Spending more time outdoors during childhood was associated with reduced risk of myopia in young adulthood (multivariable odds ratio [OR] 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.69, 0.98). Spending more time outdoors in later adolescence and young adulthood was associated with reduced risk of late-onset myopia (≥ 15 years of age, multivariable OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.64, 0.98). Spending more time outdoors in both childhood and adolescence was associated with less myopia in young adulthood.
dc.format	Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Nature Publishing Group
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/GNT1034329
dc.relation.ispartof	Scientific Reports
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1038/s41598-021-85825-y
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Myopia
dc.subject.mesh	Exercise
dc.subject.mesh	Risk Factors
dc.subject.mesh	Risk Reduction Behavior
dc.subject.mesh	Leisure Activities
dc.subject.mesh	Adolescent
dc.subject.mesh	Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Child
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Young Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Surveys and Questionnaires
dc.subject.mesh	Adolescent
dc.subject.mesh	Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Child
dc.subject.mesh	Exercise
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Leisure Activities
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Myopia
dc.subject.mesh	Risk Factors
dc.subject.mesh	Risk Reduction Behavior
dc.subject.mesh	Surveys and Questionnaires
dc.subject.mesh	Young Adult
dc.title	Time spent outdoors in childhood is associated with reduced risk of myopia as an adult
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	11
utslib.location.activity	England
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Graduate School of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Graduate School of Health/GSH.Orthoptics
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.date.updated	2021-12-06T00:14:43Z
pubs.issue	1
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	11
utslib.citation.issue	1

Abstract:

Myopia (near-sightedness) is an important public health issue. Spending more time outdoors can prevent myopia but the long-term association between this exposure and myopia has not been well characterised. We investigated the relationship between time spent outdoors in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood and risk of myopia in young adulthood. The Kidskin Young Adult Myopia Study (KYAMS) was a follow-up of the Kidskin Study, a sun exposure-intervention study of 1776 children aged 6–12 years. Myopia status was assessed in 303 (17.6%) KYAMS participants (aged 25–30 years) and several subjective and objective measures of time spent outdoors were collected in childhood (8–12 years) and adulthood. Index measures of total, childhood and recent time spent outdoors were developed using confirmatory factor analysis. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between a 0.1-unit change in the time outdoor indices and risk of myopia after adjusting for sex, education, outdoor occupation, parental myopia, parental education, ancestry and Kidskin Study intervention group. Spending more time outdoors during childhood was associated with reduced risk of myopia in young adulthood (multivariable odds ratio [OR] 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.69, 0.98). Spending more time outdoors in later adolescence and young adulthood was associated with reduced risk of late-onset myopia (≥ 15 years of age, multivariable OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.64, 0.98). Spending more time outdoors in both childhood and adolescence was associated with less myopia in young adulthood.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/152112