Hearing Aid Uptake, Benefit, and Use: The Impact of Hearing, Cognition, and Personal Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 651-663
Author(s):  
Grace Nixon ◽  
Julia Sarant ◽  
Dani Tomlin ◽  
Richard Dowell
Keyword(s):  
Stepwise Regression ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Pure Tone Audiometry ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Maze Learning ◽  
Mixed Effects Models ◽  
Psychomotor Function ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Reported Health ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of hearing, cognition, and personal factors on hearing aid (HA) uptake, use, and benefit. Method Eighty-five older adults aged 60–80 years ( M = 70.23, SD = 5.17) participated in the study. Hearing was assessed using pure-tone audiometry and the Listening in Spatialised Noise–Sentences test. Cognition was measured using the Cogstate Brief Battery and the Cogstate Groton Maze Learning task. Personal demographics were recorded from participants' answers on a series of take-home questionnaires. HA benefit and use was subjectively reported at 3 and 6 months post HA fitting for those who chose to use HAs. Results Stepwise-regression and mixed-effects models indicated that stronger psychomotor function predicted greater reported use of HAs at 3 and 6 months post HA fitting. Greater family interaction scores also predicted greater HA use at 3 months after fitting. Participants who chose to be fitted with HAs had significantly poorer self-reported health and poorer audiometric thresholds. Poorer hearing was also significantly related with greater reported HA benefit. Conclusions A combination of cognitive, psychosocial factors and hearing impacted HA outcomes for the older Australians in this study. Self-reported HA use was significantly greater in participants with better psychomotor function. Furthermore, those with poorer self-reported health were more likely to choose to use HAs. These factors should be considered in audiological rehabilitation to best maximize patient HA outcomes.

scholarly journals Clinical Application and Psychometric Properties of a Swedish Translation of the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Jonas Brännström ◽  
Ketty Andersson ◽  
Olof Sandgren ◽  
Susanna Whitling
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
Pure Tone Audiometry ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Hearing Aid Benefit

Abstract Background: The impact of hearing loss on the individual and his/her everyday life can be assessed using questionnaires with the purpose to improve rehabilitation quality. The Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) can be used to evaluate disability in everyday life associated with hearing loss. Previous studies have examined APHAB outcomes in sensorineural hearing loss and we do not know whether the type of hearing loss influence questionnaire outcomes. Purpose: The purpose was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Swedish translation of the APHAB and the influence of demographic variables on the outcome in a clinical sample. Research Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional study in a clinical sample. Study Sample: Forty-eight participants with no hearing aid experience seeking audiological rehabilitation for the first time. These participants represented different degrees of hearing loss and three types of hearing loss: monaural mixed, binaural mixed, and binaural sensorineural hearing loss. Data Collection and Analysis: Pure-tone audiometry was conducted and the participants completed the unaided APHAB during their first appointment at the clinic. Psychometric properties of the questionnaire were examined and the influence of age, gender, type of hearing loss, and degree of hearing loss on APHAB scores were studied. Results: The psychometric properties indicate high test-retest reliability but there seems to be some potential issues with the properties of the reverberation (RV) subscale. The items from the RV subscale failed to load as a separate component and the internal consistency of the subscale improved by removing four items (items 1, 9, 11, and 16). With few exceptions, APHAB scores were not influenced by age, gender, or type of hearing loss. APHAB scores were generally influenced by degree of hearing loss in both the best and the worst ear. Conclusion: This Swedish version of the APHAB can be additionally improved by addressing the inconsistencies found in the RV subscale by rephrasing or removing some items. The degree of hearing loss has some influence on questionnaire outcomes but not age, gender, and type of hearing loss.

Hearing Aid Amplification Reduces Communication Effort of People With Hearing Impairment and Their Conversation Partners

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1299-1311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Beechey ◽  
Jörg M. Buchholz ◽  
Gitte Keidser
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Referential Communication ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Directional Hearing ◽  
Acoustic Environment ◽  
Communication Task ◽  
Acoustic Environments ◽  
The Impact

Objectives This study investigates the hypothesis that hearing aid amplification reduces effort within conversation for both hearing aid wearers and their communication partners. Levels of effort, in the form of speech production modifications, required to maintain successful spoken communication in a range of acoustic environments are compared to earlier reported results measured in unaided conversation conditions. Design Fifteen young adult normal-hearing participants and 15 older adult hearing-impaired participants were tested in pairs. Each pair consisted of one young normal-hearing participant and one older hearing-impaired participant. Hearing-impaired participants received directional hearing aid amplification, according to their audiogram, via a master hearing aid with gain provided according to the NAL-NL2 fitting formula. Pairs of participants were required to take part in naturalistic conversations through the use of a referential communication task. Each pair took part in five conversations, each of 5-min duration. During each conversation, participants were exposed to one of five different realistic acoustic environments presented through highly open headphones. The ordering of acoustic environments across experimental blocks was pseudorandomized. Resulting recordings of conversational speech were analyzed to determine the magnitude of speech modifications, in terms of vocal level and spectrum, produced by normal-hearing talkers as a function of both acoustic environment and the degree of high-frequency average hearing impairment of their conversation partner. Results The magnitude of spectral modifications of speech produced by normal-hearing talkers during conversations with aided hearing-impaired interlocutors was smaller than the speech modifications observed during conversations between the same pairs of participants in the absence of hearing aid amplification. Conclusions The provision of hearing aid amplification reduces the effort required to maintain communication in adverse conditions. This reduction in effort provides benefit to hearing-impaired individuals and also to the conversation partners of hearing-impaired individuals. By considering the impact of amplification on both sides of dyadic conversations, this approach contributes to an increased understanding of the likely impact of hearing impairment on everyday communication.

scholarly journals Determinants of participation and quality of life of young adults with cerebral palsy: longitudinal approach and comparison with the general population – SPARCLE 3 study protocol

BMC Neurology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Arnaud ◽  
Carine Duffaut ◽  
Jérôme Fauconnier ◽  
Silke Schmidt ◽  
Kate Himmelmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Young People ◽  
General Population ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Effective inclusion in society for young people with disabilities is increasingly seen as generating opportunities for self-development, and improving well-being. However, significant barriers remain in the vast majority of activities meaningful for young adults. Research argues that various personal (disabilities, health) and environmental (access to the resources needed, accessible environment, discrimination, lack of personal economic independence) factors contribute to limited participation. However, previous studies conducted in young people with cerebral palsy (CP) mainly investigated the transition period to adulthood, and did not fully consider the whole range of impairment severity profiles or environmental barriers. In this study, we will use the follow-up of the SPARCLE cohort and a comparison group from the general population (1) to investigate the impact of the environment on participation and quality of life of young adults with CP, (2) to determine predictors of a successful young adulthood in educational, professional, health and social fields, (3) to compare quality of life and frequency of participation in social, work and recreational activities with the general population, (4) to document on participation and quality of life in those with severe disabilities. Methods The SPARCLE3 study has a combined longitudinal and cross-sectional design. Young adults with CP aged 22 to 27 years in 6 European regions previously enrolled in the SPARCLE cohort or newly recruited will be invited to self-complete a comprehensive set of questionnaires exploring participation (daily life and discretionary activities), health-related quality of life, body function, personal factors (health, personal resources), and contextual factors (availability of needed environmental items, family environment, services provision) during home visits supervised by trained researchers. Proxy-reports or adapted questionnaires will be used for those with the most severe impairments. The recruitment of a large group from the general population (online survey) will enable to identify life areas where the discrepancies between young people with CP and their able-bodied peers are the most significant. Discussion This study will help identify to what extent disabilities and barriers in environment negatively affect participation and quality of life, and how previous valued experiences during childhood or adolescence might modulate these effects.

scholarly journals Association of body condition with lameness in dairy cattle: a single-farm longitudinal study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Michaela Kranepuhl ◽  
Detlef May ◽  
Edna Hillmann ◽  
Lorenz Gygax
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Mixed Effects Models ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects Models ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Confounding Variables ◽  
Condition Score ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This research communication describes the relationship between the occurrence of lameness and body condition score (BCS) in a sample of 288 cows from a single farm that were repeatedly scored in the course of 9 months while controlling for confounding variables. The relationship between BCS and lameness was evaluated using generalised linear mixed-effects models. It was found that the proportion of lame cows was higher with decreasing but also with increasing BCS, increased with lactation number and decreased with time since the last claw trimming. This is likely to reflect the importance of sufficient body condition in the prevention of lameness but also raises the question of the impact of overcondition on lameness and the influence of claw trimming events on the assessment of lameness. A stronger focus on BCS might allow improved management of lameness that is still one of the major problems in housed cows.

Expectations, Prefitting Counseling, and Hearing Aid Outcome

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (05) ◽  
pp. 320-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle H. Saunders ◽  
M Samantha Lewis ◽  
Anna Forsline
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
High Expectations ◽  
Digital Hearing Aids ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Unrealistic Expectations

Background: Data suggest that having high expectations about hearing aids results in better overall outcome. However, some have postulated that excessively high expectations will result in disappointment and thus poor outcome. It has been suggested that counseling patients with unrealistic expectations about hearing aids prior to fitting may be beneficial. Data, however, are mixed as to the effectiveness of such counseling, in terms of both changes in expectations and final outcome. Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether supplementing prefitting counseling with demonstration of real-world listening can (1) alter expectations of new hearing aid users and (2) increase satisfaction over verbal-only counseling. Secondary goals of the study were to examine (1) the relationship between prefitting expectations and postfitting outcome, and (2) the effect of hearing aid fine-tuning on hearing aid outcome. Research Design: Sixty new hearing aid users were fitted binaurally with Beltone Oria behind-the-ear digital hearing aids. Forty participants received prefitting counseling and demonstration of listening situations with the Beltone AVE™ (Audio Verification Environment) system; 20 received prefitting counseling without a demonstration of listening situations. Hearing aid expectations were measured at initial contact and following prefitting counseling. Reported hearing aid outcome was measured after eight to ten weeks of hearing aid use. Study Sample: Sixty new hearing aid users aged between 55 and 81 years with symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss. Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups, between which the prefitting counseling and follow-up differed: Group 1 received prefitting counseling in combination with demonstration of listening situations. Additionally, if the participant had complaints about sound quality at the follow-up visit, the hearing aids were fine-tuned using the Beltone AVE system. Group 2 received prefitting counseling in combination with demonstration of listening situations with the Beltone AVE system, but no fine-tuning was provided at follow-up. Group 3 received prefitting hearing aid counseling that did not include demonstration of listening, and the hearing aids were not fine-tuned at the follow-up appointment. Results: The results showed that prefitting hearing aid counseling had small but significant effects on expectations. The two forms of counseling did not differ in their effectiveness at changing expectations; however, anecdotally, we learned from many participants that that they enjoyed listening to the auditory demonstrations and that they found them to be an interesting listening exercise. The data also show that positive expectations result in more positive outcome and that hearing aid fine-tuning is beneficial to the user. Conclusions: We conclude that prefitting counseling can be advantageous to hearing aid outcome and recommend the addition of prefitting counseling to address expectations associated with quality of life and self-image. The data emphasize the need to address unrealistic expectations prior to fitting hearing aids cautiously, so as not to decrease expectations to the extent of discouraging and demotivating the patient. Data also show that positive expectations regarding the impact hearing aids will have on psychosocial well-being are important for successful hearing aid outcome.

Of ‘prostitutes’ and ‘AIDS people’: Feminization of HIV and AIDS in South-eastern Ghana

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-38
Author(s):  
Bright B. Drah
Keyword(s):  
Social History ◽  
Hiv Infections ◽  
Hiv Prevalence ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Orphans And Vulnerable Children ◽  
Historical Factors ◽  
The Impact

In sub-Saharan Africa, more women than men live with HIV and women bear the largest proportion of the burden of care that is due to the epidemic. Only a few studies have documented the precise details of how women in countries with low HIV prevalence became the worst affected by the epidemic. In Ghana, the historical factors that account for high HIV infections among women and the emergence of women-led community-based HIV interventions have been less researched. This paper examines the historical (political-economic), cultural and personal factors that account for the high HIV prevalence in Manya Klo, the area worst impacted by HIV in Ghana. The paper presents the social history of the pandemic in Manya Klo and explains why Klo women are considered to be the sources of HIV in Ghana. It suggests that concentrating interventions on women helps to reduce the impact of HIV and inform national interventions. Women-focused interventions may, however, alienate other groups that can contribute to improving the lives of families affected by HIV. Therefore, women-focused interventions must be planned in a manner that engages multiple stakeholders.Keywords: Manya Krobo, queen mothers, female migration, female sex work, orphans and vulnerable children, community-based HIV initiatives

Self-Perceived Hearing Loss, Hearing-Help Seeking and Hearing Aid Adoption Among Older Adults in Malaysia

2018 ◽  
Vol 127 (11) ◽  
pp. 798-805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siti Zamratol Mai Sarah Mukari ◽  
Wan Fazlina Wan Hashim
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Pure Tone Audiometry ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Hearing Level ◽  
Low Sensitivity ◽  
Single Question

Introduction: The aims of this study were to examine the validity of self-perceived hearing loss in detecting hearing loss and factors associated with self-perceived hearing loss and hearing-help seeking and to report hearing aid adoption among a group of community-dwelling older adults in Malaysia. Methods: A total of 301 older adults (⩾60 years of age) participating in a study on aging had their hearing tested using pure-tone audiometry. Self-perceived hearing loss was assessed using a single question. Sociodemographic profile, otologic history, and general cognitive status were also obtained. Results: A single question had low sensitivity in detecting actual hearing loss: 31.3% for 4-frequency average > 25 dBHL and 48.8% for 4-frequency average > 40 dBHL. Besides hearing level, history of otorrhea and tinnitus were factors that were associated with self-perceived hearing loss among older adults with at least mild hearing loss. Hearing-help-seeking behavior was not associated with any of the tested variables. The hearing aid adoption rate was 2.7% and 7.3% among participants with 4-frequency averages > 25 dBHL and > 40 dBHL, respectively. Conclusion: The underestimation of hearing loss in the majority of older adults in this study poses a potential barrier to hearing loss intervention.

scholarly journals Digital Competence in Higher Education: Students’ Perception and Personal Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12184
Author(s):  
Yu Zhao ◽  
María Cruz Sánchez Gómez ◽  
Ana María Pinto Llorente ◽  
Liping Zhao
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Lower Grade ◽  
Quantitative Methodology ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Digital Competence ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Digital Competencies ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Impact

University students are expected to have the appropriate digital competence to face the demands of the changing educational model and to meet the challenges of the future work. This paper describes university students’ perceptions of digital competence and analyzes the impact of personal factors on digital competence in a sample of 5164 students from all majors in the first and fourth year of their studies at Gansu Agricultural University (China). A quantitative methodology was followed, employing a non-experimental method and the survey technique to collect data. The results obtained show that students’ perceptions of digital competencies in terms of information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, and safety were positive. Furthermore, there were significant differences in students’ self-perceptions of digital competence related to gender, grade level, area of residence, and prior relevant training in the DigComp framework-based instrument. The development of key competency areas for digital competence, such as the creation of digital content, should be promoted, along with helping students to gain knowledge when dealing with everyday technological issues. The need for training related to the use of ICT and digital competencies was also highlighted, as well as supporting the promotion of female students in selected areas of digital competence and assisting lower grade students and students from rural areas in digital competence development.

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