Abstract:Objective: To evaluate the effect of the myopia prevention and control guidance stations (MPCGS) on axial length elongation in school-aged children. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study. Three schools in Qingyang District, Chengdu, that implemented the MPCGS in 2023 were selected as the intervention group, while three schools in the same district without such stations served as the control group. A total of 3,404 students enrolled in grades 1–3 in 2022 and completed continuous follow-up from 2022 to 2025 were included, with 1,709 in the intervention group and 1,695 in the control group. Students were categorized into three groups based on their enrollment grade in 2022: Group A (Grade 1), Group B (Grade 2), and Group C (Grade 3). The intervention group received the school-hospital-family integrated model for myopia prevention and control. Comparisons were stratified by grade, with independent samples t-tests used for intergroup analyses of annual axial elongation (ΔAL) between the intervention and control groups, and repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni-corrected post hoc tests used for within-group comparisons across time points. Results: No significant differences were observed between the intervention and control groups within each grade (A, B, and C) at baseline for age, sex, SE, AL, ΔSE (2022-2023), or ΔAL (2022-2023) (all P > 0.05). During the first intervention year (2023–2024), intergroup comparisons revealed no significant differences in ΔAL between the intervention and control groups within Groups A, B, and C (all P > 0.05). During the second intervention year (2024–2025), the intervention group showed significantly lower ΔAL than the control group within Groups A and B (P < 0.001 and P = 0.017, respectively), while no significant between-group difference in ΔAL was detected in Group C (P = 0.419). Within-group comparisons revealed significant differences in ΔAL across time points within each of Groups A, B, and C (all P < 0.001). Compared with the pre-intervention year, ΔAL significantly decreased in all groups during the second intervention year (all P < 0.05). Conclusion: The school-hospital-family integrated MPCGS model was associated with a deceleration in axial elongation, with this association exhibiting a time-dependent cumulative effect and being more pronounced in lower-grade children (grades 1-2).
