scholarly journals Hearing Loss and Health Care Seeking

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 615-615
Author(s):  
Nicholas Reed

Abstract Hearing loss is common among older adults. Hearing loss is associated with increased health care expenditures, risk of 30-day readmission, and longer length of hospital stay. However, little is known about behaviors and attitudes in seeking care. In this cross-sectional analysis, we examined data from the 2016 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) datasets. Participants are asked to describe their self-perceived trouble hearing. Health care seeking attitudes were assessed on all study participants in 2016 via self-report avoidance or delay of care, personal health concerns, and sharing health status. Multivariate regression models adjusted for demographic/socioeconomic characteristics and general health determinants were used to explore the association between trouble hearing and outcomes. In the 2016 MCBS, 12,140 Medicare beneficiaries, representing 51 million with survey weights, answered questions on help-seeking attitudes. In the sample, 55.6% reported no trouble hearing, while 38.8% and 5.5% reported a little trouble and a lot of trouble hearing, respectively. Those with a lot of trouble hearing were more likely to report avoiding doctors (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.35; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.09 – 1.67) and delaying care (OR = 1.47; 95% CI = 1.19 – 1.82). However, no differences were found in personal health concerns or willingness to share health status with others. Poorer health care seeking behaviors may help explain higher costs associated with hearing loss as avoidance of care can exacerbate health problems. Further work is needed to understand underlying reasons and whether addressing hearing loss modifies the observed association.

2021 ◽  
pp. 089826432110117
Author(s):  
Heng-Yu H. Lin ◽  
Amber Willink ◽  
Anna M. Jilla ◽  
Heather M. Weinreich ◽  
Esther S. Oh ◽  
...  

Objective: Hearing loss is associated with higher health expenditures and poor healthcare utilization. This study aims to build on these findings by characterizing the association between hearing status and healthcare-seeking behaviors among Medicare beneficiaries. Methods: Cross-sectional log-binominal regression was used to assess the association between self-report hearing and healthcare-seeking behaviors (avoidance or delay of care, personal health concerns, and sharing health status) using the 2016 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey ( N = 12,140). Results: Beneficiaries with trouble hearing had significantly higher risks of avoiding and delaying health care compared to those without trouble hearing. Conversely, trouble hearing was not associated with concern for health status or sharing health status. Discussion: These findings may help explain higher costs associated with hearing loss as avoidance of care can exacerbate health problems. Further work is needed to understand underlying causes and whether addressing hearing loss modifies the observed association.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renee Gindi ◽  

Health, United States, 2019 is the 43rd report on the health status of the nation and is submitted by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to the President and the Congress of the United States in compliance with Section 308 of the Public Health Service Act. This report was compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Health, United States series presents an annual overview of national trends in key health indicators. The 2019 report presents trends and current information on selected measures of morbidity, mortality, health care utilization and access, health risk factors, prevention, health insurance, and personal health care expenditures in a 20-figure chartbook. The Health, United States, 2019 Chartbook is supplemented by several other products including Trend Tables, an At-a-Glance table, and Appendixes available for download on the Health, United States website at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/ index.htm. The Health, United States, 2019 Chartbook contains 20 figures and 20 tables on health and health care in the United States. Examining trends in health informs the development, implementation, and evaluation of health policies and programs. The first section (Figures 1–13) focuses on health status and determinants: life expectancy, infant mortality, selected causes of death, overdose deaths, suicide, maternal mortality, teen births, preterm births, use of tobacco products, asthma, hypertension, heart disease and cancer, and functional limitations. The second section (Figures 14–15) presents trends in health care utilization: use of mammography and colorectal tests and unmet medical needs. The third section (Figures 16–17) focuses on health care resources: availability of physicians and dentists. The fourth section (Figures 18–20) describes trends in personal health care expenditures, health insurance coverage, and supplemental insurance coverage among Medicare beneficiaries. The Highlights section summarizes major findings from the Chartbook. Suggested citation: National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2019. Hyattsville, MD. 2021.


2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 362-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian C. Kersh ◽  
Laurence A. Bradley ◽  
Graciela S. Alarc�n ◽  
Kristin R. Alberts ◽  
Adriana Sotolongo ◽  
...  

2001 ◽  
Vol 120 (5) ◽  
pp. A634-A635
Author(s):  
P PARE ◽  
S FERRAZZI ◽  
W THOMPSON ◽  
E IRVINE ◽  
L RANCE

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-74
Author(s):  
Fulya Akpak ◽  
Nuri Seha Yüksel ◽  
Ayşegül Kabanlı ◽  
Tolga Günvar

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (11) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Xiaohong Chen ◽  
Ming Chen ◽  
Shih-Heng Yu ◽  
Yinxia Wu ◽  
Anqian Tao

We examined the influence of the type (positive vs. negative) and source (patients' online community vs. general online community) of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on consumers' health care-seeking decisions. Participants in this 2 × 2 between-subjects study comprised 160 patients who had sought medical advice at a large Tier 3, Class A hospital in China in 2019. The results show that negative (vs. positive) eWOM had a greater influence on consumers' health care-seeking decisions, with similar results for the patients' (vs. general) online community. In addition, positive eWOM from the patients' (vs. general) online community had a greater influence on participants' health careseeking decisions but the result was not significant for negative eWOM. Credibility of eWOM also mediated the relationship between eWOM and health care-seeking decision. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.


Author(s):  
Patrick T. Adegun ◽  
Eyitope O. Amu

Abstract Background: In Nigeria, adolescents are highly vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) which have the potential of jeopardising their future reproductive lives if poorly treated. Objective: To determine the prevalence and health care seeking behaviour for STIs among secondary school adolescents in Ado, South-Western Nigeria. Subjects: Male and female adolescents aged 10–19 years. Methods: The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional design. A pre-tested, self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from 560 adolescents selected from public and private secondary schools in Ado Local Government Area (LGA) of Ekiti State, using a multistage sampling technique. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Analyzed data were presented in the form of tables and charts. Results: Two hundred and fifty-one (47.1%) respondents had previous symptoms of STIs. The commonest symptoms among the males were penile discharge (30.5%), painful micturition (30.5%) and stomach pain with swollen testes (25.4%). The commonest symptoms among the females were genital itching (27.6%), genital sores (14.1%) and painful micturition (13.1%). Only 26.7% sought treatment from a health facility; 37.0% did nothing; 15.9% went to patent medicine stores, 10.0% used herbs; the rest did self-medication or prayed. Conclusion: The prevalence of STI symptoms among adolescents in Ado-Ekiti is high but their health care seeking behaviour is poor. Health education about the dangers of untreated STI and the importance of seeking treatment early, targeted at adolescents, should be intensified.


2021 ◽  
pp. 263183182110323
Author(s):  
Aditya Prakash Sharma ◽  
Japleen Kaur ◽  
Ravimohan S. Mavuduru ◽  
Shrawan K. Singh

Sexual health-care seeking behavior and practices have been affected during COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of COVID-19 on this subspecialty is far reaching. This study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on health-care seeking practice pertaining to sexual health in men in our tertiary care center and review the relevant literature regarding impact of COVID-19 on sexual health seeking practice and challenges faced. Outpatient data was analyzed from January 2019 to April 2021. Patients awaiting surgical procedures due to COVID were documented. A narrative synthesis of literature based on systematic search using the keywords sexual health, sexual health seeking, sexual health practice, andrology, and COVID with operators “AND” and “OR” was carried out in three search engines PubMed, Scopus, and Embase. The study outcomes were obtained by comparing data of outpatient attendance and compiling the reviewed literature. The mean attendance fell significantly from 95.11±11.17 to 17.25±13.70 persons (P <.0001) per outpatient clinic, March 2020 being the reference point. Teleconsultation has taken over physical consultation. In 98/949 cases, teleconsult could not be provided despite registration. Over 25 patients were waiting for surgical procedures pertaining to andrology due to shut down of elective services. Similar trends have been reported from other countries. Number of patients seeking consultation for sexual health problems has dramatically decreased during COVID-19 era. Establishment of data safe teleconsultation facility and its widespread advertisement is needed to encourage patients to seek consult.


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