الفهرس 
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Abstract
Individuals with visual impairment are very vulnerable population
because it is difficult for them to access health information and the difficulty of
their access to a healthy life. Health and illness for a person is determined from
childhood by their behaviors and attitude either in positive or negative way and
impact their health in the future. Therefore, the family must take care of their
children and teach them healthy habits at an early age especially children with
visual impairment. So, the current study was conducted to assess lifestyle
pattern of visually impaired students at special blind schools in Damanhour
city.
A descriptive research design was used to carry out this study. The study was
carried out in the Special Blind Schools in Damanhour city. Only one school was
available (namely El-Noor school for the Blind). All visually impaired and blind
students at the previous mentioned setting were included into the study (110
students) at 2019-2020 academic year and who were distributed as follows: pre-
school grade were 5 students, primary stage were 62 students, preparatory stage
were 19 students and secondary stage were 24 students.
Three tools were designed and used for data collection:
Tool I: Students’ Profile Structural Interview Questionnaire. It includes
students’ socio-demographic data, family socioeconomic status scale (SES),
students’ health profile, body measurements, family history, assessment of the
school physical environment (inside and outside), availability and utilization of
school health insurance services, rehabilitation, and technological educational
services. Tool II: Students’ Healthy Behaviors and Lifestyle knowledge
Assessment Sheet. To assess their knowledge about six dimensions of healthy
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behaviors and lifestyle (nutrition, physical exercises, risk taking behaviors, self-
care, relaxations and stress management and injury prevention and safe
environment). Tool III: Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) II. It consists
of 52 health-promoting behavior items that are categorized into six subscales as
following: health responsibility (nine items), spiritual growth (nine items),
physical activity (eight items), interpersonal relationships (nine items), nutrition
(nine items) and stress management (eight items).
Data collection was carried out over a period from October 2020 until the
end of December 2021.
The main results of the study were:
Part I: Students’ Profile
Students, Socio-demographic data:
- More than one third of studied students are in the age group from 10-14
years with a mean age 11.76 ± 3.706, more than half of the students had
primary stage of education and were female and live in rural areas.
- More than three quarters of studied students were staying at school while
studying, all students their caregivers were the administrator,
supervisors, teachers, nurses, day care workers and workers inside their
school. While the majority of students caregivers were their fathers and
mothers at their home.
- Nearly half of the students were the first child in their families and the
majority of them (86.4%) had brothers and sisters.
- Regarding the students parents’ education and occupation, it was found
that less than half (46.4%) of students’ fathers had pre-university
education and 34.5% of students’ fathers have trader work compared to
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more than one third (41.8%) of students’ mothers had pre-university
education and more than half (61.8%) of them were housewife.
- It was found that more than half (57.3%) of the studied students’ families
had enough income and less than two thirds (64.5%) of them had high
socioeconomic level.
Students’ health profile:
- More than one third (40.0%) of the studied students had medical health
problems or disorder; 34.1% from them had bronchial asthma and more
than one third (30.9%) of studied students had a history of surgical
intervention; 44.1% from them performed tonsillectomy.
- Less than one third (30.9%) of the studied students had a history of
accidents; half of them had fall and less than half (44.1%) of them had
leg fractures.
- All the studied students did not have any other disabilities.
- More than three quarters of the studied students’ current vision acuity
was <3/60 and less than two thirds (62.7%) of them had degree of vision
defect or blind in both eyes, while nearly two thirds (64.7%) of them had
left myopia and less than three quarters (71.8%) of them wearing
eyeglasses.
Family history:
- More than half of the students’ families had chronic diseases; the majority
of them had diabetes melilites, and less than half of students’
grandparents had chronic diseases.
- More than half (56.4%) of students’ family’s members had vision defect,
less than two thirds (62.9%) of them had myopia and more than half
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(53.2%) of their fathers and 45.2% of students’ mothers had vision
defects.
- Nearly one fourth of students’ families had hereditary diseases; majority
of them had cancer.
- 27.3% of students’ families had disability; less than half (46,7%) of them
had visual disability.
- One third of students reported parent consanguinity; the majority from
them (81.1%) were first degree.
Assessment school physical environment (inside and outside):
- More than three quarters of the students stated that school location was
safe and all of them had no school private transportation.
- The majority of the students reported clean school environment.
- More than half (51.8%) of the students reported practicing sport activity
inside the school and the presence of enough space for playing sports.
- The majority (86.4%) of the students stated the presence of safety
measures inside the school and all of students reported presence of fire
alarm at school.
- The majority (94.5%) of the students stated the presence of clean non
slippery floor and all students reported the presence of safety signs inside
the school, braille, and voice signs.
Availability of health insurance, rehabilitation, and technological
educational services
- All the students had school health insurance and utilized it for diagnosis,
treatment and follow up.
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- All the students had rehabilitation services; physical, social,
psychological, educational, and vocational services.
- More than one third (40.0%) of the students reported using technology
aids in education such as voice talking devices and computer.
Students’ body measurements (weight and height):
- More than half (61.8%) of studied students’ body mass index was normal
weight, while 20.0% of them were overweight.
Part II: Students’ Healthy Behaviors and Lifestyle knowledge
- The majority (90.9%) of the studied students had poor level of
knowledge, while 0.9% of them had good level of knowledge about
healthful lifestyle, with a mean score 30.91±7.949.
- More than half of the students their levels of knowledge about nutrition
were poor level, while 13.6% were good level, with a mean score
2.160±1.338.
- More than two thirds of the students their levels of knowledge about
exercises were fair level, while 17,3% of them their levels were poor with
a mean score 0.960±0.557.
- The majority (83.6%) of the students’ levels of knowledge about risk
taking behavior were poor levels while only 1.8% of them had poor level,
with a mean score 2.460±1.851.
- More than three quarters of the students’ levels of knowledge about self
-care were poor level and less than one quarter (24.5%) of them their
knowledge was fair level, with a mean score 7.540±2.583.
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- The majority (88.2%) of the students’ levels of knowledge about stress
management were poor level and more than tenth (11,8%) of them their
level of knowledge were fair levels, with a mean score 2.930±1.572.
- The majority (85.8%) of the students’ levels of knowledge about safety
and accident prevention were poor levels and only 14.5% of them their
levels were fair, with a mean score 4.350±1.296.
Part III: Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile:
- Pertaining to their nutrition, exactly half of the students reported that they
always eat breakfast and more than one third of them sometimes choose their
diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol compared to 41.8% who
reported that they sometimes limit use of sugars and food containing (sugar,
sweets). While 38.2% of them reported that they sometimes eat 6-11 servings
of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta daily and less than half sometimes had eat 2-
4 servings of fruit daily and eat 3-5 servings of vegetables daily.
- Regarding physical activities, less than half of the studied students
sometimes follow a planned exercise program compared to 44.5% of them
who sometimes practicing exercise vigorously for 20 or more minutes at
least three times a week (such as brisk walking, bicycling, aerobic dancing,
using a stair climb. While exactly half of them mentioned that they
sometimes take part of light to moderate physical activity (such as sustained
walking 30-40 minutes 5 or more times a week) and half of the students
mentioned that they sometimes get exercise during usual daily activities
(such as walking during lunch, using stairs instead of elevators parting car
away from destination and walking).
- With regards to heath responsibility, less than half of the students reported
that they sometimes inspect their body for physical changes / danger signs at
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least monthly and more than one third of them always had report any unusual
signs or symptoms to a physician or other health professional. While more
than one third of the studied students sometimes ask for information from
health professionals about how to take good care of themselves and sometimes
attend educational programs on personal health care.
- With regards to heath responsibility, less than half (47.3%) of the students
sometimes inspect their body for physical changes / danger Signs at least
monthly and more than one third of them always had report any unusual signs
or symptoms to a physician or other health professional. While 39.1% of the
students sometimes get a second opinion when they question their health care
provider’s advice compared to the same percentages more than one third
(37.3%, 37.3%) of them often and sometimes discuss their health concerns
with health professionals, respectively.
- Concerning spiritual growth, more than one third of the students often feel
they are growing and changing in positive ways, maintain meaningful and
fulfilling relationships with others and believe that their life has purpose. As
well, more than one third (42.7%) of them often accept those things in their
life which they cannot change and less than half (45.5%) of them reported
that they often look forward to the future.
- Relating interpersonal relations, more than one third of the studied
students sometimes discuss their problems and concerns with people close to
them and praise other people easily for their achievements. As well, the same
percentages were reported by more than one third of the students for always
spend time with close friends and often touch and their touched by people
they care about, respectively. Additionally, more than one third of them
always get support from a network of caring people and often find it easy to
show concern, love, and warmth to others, respectively.
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- In relation to stress management: more than one third of the studied
students always get enough sleep, less than half of them sometimes make
daily relaxation and less than half of the students often concentrate on
pleasant thoughts at bedtime compared to 43.6% of them sometimes use
specific methods to control their stress. Also, less than half of them
sometimes practice relaxation or mediation for 15-20 minutes daily.
- The total health promoting lifestyle profile of the studied students and all its
domains were moderate by 65.4%, good by 42.7% and excellent by 0.9%,
with a total mean score 128.75±13.09.
- Half of the students their levels of health promoting lifestyle profile about health
responsibility subscale were moderate, with a mean score 22.50±3.397.
- More than half of them their levels of health promoting lifestyle profile about
spiritual growth subscale were moderate, with a mean score 22.45±2.92.
- Less than two thirds (60.0%) of them their levels of health promoting
lifestyle profile about physical activity subscale were good, with a mean
score 20.70±2.923.
- Less than three quarters (70.9%) of them their levels of health promoting
lifestyle profile about interpersonal relationship subscale were moderate,
with a mean score 21.43±3.012.
- Less than three quarters of them their levels of health promoting lifestyle
profile about nutrition were moderate, with a mean score 20.71±2.919.
- Less than two thirds (60.9%) of them their levels of health promoting
lifestyle profile about stress management were good, with a mean score
20.95±2.944.
Part IV. Relationship between the studied students and variables:
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- There was statically significant relation between the students’ age, level of
education, type of family, level of dependence, safety and accident
prevention and their mean score of knowledge about healthy lifestyle.
- There was statically significant relation between the students’ age, level of
education, family history of chronic diseases, level of dependence, safety
measures and accident prevention and their mean score of health promoting
lifestyle profile.
- There was highly statistically significant relation between the students’ total
level of knowledge score regarding level and total mean score of health
promoting lifestyle profile.
In light of the present study findings, the following are recommended:
1- Developing school programs designed to assist visually impaired students
in developing healthy lifestyle behaviors to include in the curriculum.
2- Ensure the presence of a nutritionist in schools for the blind to provide them
with healthy, balanced meals and give them health education about healthy
diet and promote them for eating breakfast.
3- Expanding the national strategy raising awareness campaigns about risk
factors of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors.
4- Increase ongoing special campaigns of growth and development to students
with visual impairment for early detection of obesity.
5- Providing visually impaired students with a booklet written in Braille that
contains the most important daily healthy lifestyle habits and risks of
unhealthy habits.