Identificació de projectes per a l'atenció visual de col·lectius desfavorits

Postprint (published version

Why are there gender inequalities in visual impairment?

Background In high-income countries, the prevalence of blindness and visual impairment is higher among women, regardless of age although the mechanisms that produce these gender inequalities are not well understood. The objectives of this study were to analyse gender inequalities in the prevalence of blindness and visual impairment, age of onset, diagnosed and undiagnosed status and related eye diseases among visually impaired individuals. Methods Data were obtained from the 2008 Spanish Survey on ‘Disability, Personal Autonomy and Dependency Situations’ (n = 213 626) participants 360 blind (160 men and 200 women), and 5560 with some visual impairment (2025 men and 3535 women). The prevalence of blindness and visual impairment, age of onset of visual impairment and diagnosed and undiagnosed eye diseases was calculated. Hierarchical multiple logistic regression models were fit to test gender differences. Results Women were more likely to report visual impairment (crude OR = 1.6 [95% CI: 1.56–1.74]). Prevalence of diagnosed cataract was higher among visually impaired women (crude OR = 1.4 [95% CI: 1.25–1.67]) whereas undiagnosed eye disease (crude OR = 0.7 [95% CI: 0.64–0.81]) or diagnosed glaucoma (aORsex = 0.8 [95% CI: 0.65–0.93]) were more frequent among visually impairment men. These associations were not explained by age or educational level. Conclusions Strong gender inequalities were observed, with a higher prevalence of visual impairment and related cataracts among women, which could be related to gender inequalities in access to health care, and undiagnosed eye disease and related glaucoma among men, which could be related to their gender socialization resulting in less frequent and effectively use of health care services.Postprint (author's final draft

The Social Network: How People with Visual Impairment use Mobile Phones in Kibera, Kenya

Living in an informal settlement with a visual impairment can be very challenging resulting in social exclusion. Mobile phones have been shown to be hugely beneficial to people with sight loss in formal and high-income settings. However, little is known about whether these results hold true for people with visual impairment (VIPs) in informal settlements. We present the findings of a case study of mobile technology use by VIPs in Kibera, an informal settlement in Nairobi. We used contextual interviews, ethnographic observations and a co-design workshop to explore how VIPs use mobile phones in their daily lives, and how this use influences the social infrastructure of VIPs. Our findings suggest that mobile technology supports and shapes the creation of social infrastructure. However, this is only made possible through the existing support networks of the VIPs, which are mediated through four types of interaction: direct, supported, dependent and restricted

Inequalities in blindness, visual impairment and related eye diseases in Spain : An approach from socioeconomic position, gender and territory

L'objectiu de la tesi és explorar les desigualtats geogràfiques, de gènere i de posició socioeconòmica en la prevalença de la discapacitat visual i ceguesa. La tesi consta de 3 articles que analitzen cadascuna de les dimensions de desigualtat considerades. Les dades s’obtenen de l'Enquesta Espanyola de 2008 sobre "Discapacitat, Autonomia personal i situacions de dependència" i mostren que existeixen desigualtats regionals, de gènere i socioeconòmics en la prevalença de discapacitat visual a Espanya. Aquest estudi millora comprensió d’aquestes desigualtats i mostra que la major prevalença de discapacitat visual en les regions de baixos ingressos, les dones o les persones amb baix nivell socioeconòmic està associada amb determinades patologies oculars relacionades amb necessitats no cobertes fora del control del pacient. Es recomana la implementació de polítiques per millorarla qualitat dels serveis, reduir les desigualtats en l'esforç terapèutic i de diagnòstic i en el paper la masculinitat tradicional hegemònica.The aim of this thesis is to explore geographic, socioeconomic position, and gender inequalities in the prevalence of visual impairment and blindness. The thesis includes 3 papers that address each of these dimensions of inequality. Data were obtained from the 2008 Spanish Survey on “Disability, Personal Autonomy and Dependency Situations”. The results of these studies suggest that there are regional, gender and socioeconomic inequalities in the prevalence of visual impairment in Spain. This study improves our understanding of these inequalities, and shows for the first time that the higher prevalence of visual impairment among low-income regions, women, or individuals with low socioeconomic status is associated with specific eye diseases that are related to unmet need for eye care beyond the patient’s control. Policies to improve the quality of services, reduce inequalities in the therapeutic and diagnostic effort and the role of traditional masculinity are recommended.Programa de doctorat en Biomedicin

VERAS! Fase IV

Postprint (published version

Millora de la xarxa sanitària visual

Postprint (published version

Recolzament a organitzacions per a la salut visual

Postprint (published version