Quebec’s financial assistance program for pediatric optical correction: a parental survey on awareness and accessibility

Marie-Lou Garon; Magalie Hogue; Céline Marie Lebouthillier; Benoit Tousignant

doi:10.65636/cjo.v88i3.6613

Auteurs-es

Marie-Lou Garon Université de Montréal
Magalie Hogue
Céline Marie Lebouthillier
Benoit Tousignant Université de Montréal

DOI :

https://doi.org/10.65636/cjo.v88i3.6613

Mots-clés :

pediatric optometry, health insurance reimbursement, health services awareness, health services accessibility, Quebec

Résumé

Purpose
Mieux voir pour réussir (See Better to Succeed) is a Government of Québec financial assistance program, which reimburses $300 on the purchase of corrective lenses for all children younger than 18 years old. Our study assessed the level of parental awareness of the program and whether the reimbursement after upfront payment by the patient is a barrier to its uptake.
Methods
In this cross-sectional study, we distributed an online questionnaire to parents of elementary school children from three French-speaking school service centres in the Canadian province of Québec. The questionnaire included items related to socio-demographic factors, parental awareness of the program, history of the child’s eye examinations, parental perception of eye health, and the reimbursement method as a possible barrier. We collected descriptive statistics and performed chi-square tests.
Results
In total 434 participants from 15 schools (response rate 20%) participated in the study. The program was known to 53% of participants. Parents were more familiar with the program if their child wore corrective lenses (P < .001), already had an eye exam (P < .001), had eye exams at the recommended frequency (P < .001), or if the parent considered their child having annual eye exams to be important (P = .02). For 27% of participants, the payment method could be a barrier to using the program, particularly parents with the lowest levels of income (P < .001) and education (P < .001).
Conclusion
Almost half of the parents surveyed were unaware of the program, suggesting the need for better targeted promotion. More than a quarter of parents, and almost half of those of lower socio-economic status, indicated that the reimbursement after upfront purchase was a barrier. Considering that the program aims to support academic success for all children, adjustments to the reimbursement method could be beneficial to increase its uptake, especially among children from underprivileged backgrounds.

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