A study on awareness of hearing health, risk factors, prevention, and intervention of hearing impairment-among pregnant women and mothers of newborn in urban area, Bhubaneswar

Background: The study was aimed at investigating the knowledge of awareness of hearing health, risk factors causing hearing loss and preventive measures for hearing disability at natal stages and awareness regarding the intervention among the pregnant women and mothers of newborn in urban area i.e. in Bhubaneswar.Methods: 53 pregnant women and 103 mothers of newborn had participated in the present study and were agreed to provide their awareness regarding the questionnaire related to selected parameters their responses were scored and documented for the statistics.Results: Results indicates that mothers were more aware of the selected parameters like risk factors during natal stages, intervention as compared to pregnant women. Mothers (66.01%) and pregnant women (56.22%) were more aware of prenatal risk factors as compared to peri and postnatal. Almost 60% of total participants were aware of hearing health and intervention for hearing loss. Two-way ANOVA was computed. p<0.0001, indicates statistically significant difference between the selected parameters i.e. awareness of hearing health and intervention and awareness of risk factors and prevention for hearing impairment at natal stages. Post hoc analysis (using unpaired t test by applying Bonferroni correction) suggestive of statistically significant difference of selected parameters from each other among pregnant women and mothers with p=0.0002.Conclusions: It is very much important to utilize the existing knowledge of the grass root level people like mothers and pregnant women by acquiring their ideas and information regarding the awareness of occurrence of hearing impairment in children which can be done only by spreading adequate information regarding hearing disability.

Sensory Impairments and Social Isolation Among Hispanic Older Adults: Towards Culturally Sensitive Measurement of Social Isolation

Objectives: Sensory disabilities, including vision disability and hearing disability, increase risk for social isolation, which is associated with multiple negative health outcomes. Existing literature suggests that the cultural value of familism may provide a buffer against social isolation. We examined the longitudinal trajectory of social isolation among Hispanic older adults with self-reported vision disability (SRVD) and self-reported hearing disability (SRHD) and tested a modified measure of social isolation incorporating familism. Methods: We compared 8-year trajectories of social isolation among Hispanics (n = 445) and non-Hispanic Whites (n = 4,861) from the National Health and Aging Trends Study. We used structural equation modeling to explore the longitudinal relationships between sensory disability and social isolation while comparing two measures of social isolation. Results: Social isolation increased longitudinally for both groups, with SRVD significantly associated with higher initial levels. Social isolation started and remained higher across time among Hispanics. Using an adjusted measure of social isolation (added familial support), neither initial levels nor trajectories of social isolation differed between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White participants. Discussion: Initially, Hispanics appeared more socially isolated, reporting less social support from outside the home. Yet, we found that they were more likely to report family social connections. Traditional measures of social isolation focusing on social support outside of the home (neglecting support by family) may lack content validity among Hispanic groups. Culturally sensitive measures of social isolation will be increasingly consequential for future research and health policy to meet the needs of a diverse older population. Keywords: Social Isolation, Sensory Disability, Hispanic, Familism, Culture

Case Report: A Domestic Sponge Brush Used to Clean a Milk Feeding Bottle: The Source of Neonatal Meningitis Caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a relatively rare cause of neonatal meningitis, and most patients have serious underlying diseases, prematurity, immunodeficiency, or anatomical abnormalities. We report the case of a 7-day-old girl with meningitis caused by P. aeruginosa. She was born full-term and had no immunodeficiency or anatomical abnormalities as far as our investigation ascertained. Through the use of anti-Pseudomonas antibiotics, she recovered without any complications other than a slight hearing disability revealed by audiology testing. P. aeruginosa was also isolated from a domestic sponge brush used to clean her milk bottle. Physicians should consider P. aeruginosa as a possible pathogen of neonatal meningitis even in full-term infants with no immunodeficiency or anatomical abnormalities. Physicians should give advice concerning appropriate hygiene practices to be applied to the neonate's environment.

Unidentified Persons With Disabilities in India- A Study Based on 76th Round of NSS (2018-19) Data

Background: Identification of the disabled and providing them a disability certificate is the first step for provisioning educational, employment, and other social benefits in a welfare state. Deprivation from disability certificate deprives persons with disability (PwDs) from government policy and programme. Though studies examined the extent, variation, and pattern of disability, no attempt has been made in understanding the extent and variation of unidentified PwDs in India. The study aims to examine the variation in unidentified PwDs by type of disability, state and socio-economic correlates.Data and methods: The unit data from the 76th round (schedule 26) of Nation Sample Survey, 2018 is used in analyses. A total of 1,06,894 disabled across seven types of disabilities; any disability, locomotor, visual, hearing, speech, mental retardation, mental illness, and other disability have been analysed. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses are used.Results: 7 in 10 disabled person in India don’t have a disability certificate. The percentage share of PwDs with a disability certificate varies 12% among those with hearing disability to 47% with mental retardation. Unadjusted odds ratio shows that person with hearing disability (OR=0.30 CI 0.303-0.304) are less likely to hold a disability certificate compare to locomotor disability followed by mental illness (OR=0.52 CI 0.519 0520), and visual disability (OR= 0.74 CI 0.736 0.738). Person with mental retardation are two times more likely to hold the disability certificate (OR 2.05 CI 2.046 2.047) than the visual disabled. States variation in percent share of disability certificate is found to be large. The result depicts that there remains a high variation in the access of disability certificates across states in India. Conclusion: A nationwide drive to include the unidentified disabled is recommended with documentation and inclusion in the administrative processes.

Importance of personality and coping expectancy on patient-reported hearing disability, quality of life and distress level: a study of patients referred to an audiology service

Purpose According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hearing loss (HL) affects up to 15% of the world’s adult population. Coping and personality are hypothesized to underlie quality of life (QoL) and distress scores. We aimed to study the importance of personality and coping in persons with HL for self-reported hearing disability, QoL, and distress. Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out, including one hundred and fifty-eight adults seeking hearing aids. Pure-tone average hearing thresholds (PTA) were determined for each ear. A revised version of the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) served as a measure of self-reported hearing disability. Further, the generic part of the European Organization for Research and Treatment (EORTC) QoL questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) (distress measure) were answered. Levels of neuroticism and the Theoretically Originated Measure of the Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress (TOMCATS) coping expectancy were determined. Results Hearing disability was determined by PTA (better ear) and level of neuroticism. Distress and QoL were determined by neuroticism and coping. Conclusion More neuroticism was associated with worse outcome for the variables hearing disability, distress, and QoL. Helplessness and hopelessness were associated with worse hearing disability, increased distress, and lowered QoL. Patient reported hearing disability was also associated with PTA (better ear). There is a need to investigate further the associations between hearing disability and QoL to psychosocial parameters.

Lack of Association between Audiogram and Hearing Disability Measures in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia: What Audiogram Does Not Tell You

(1) Introduction: The validity of self-reported hearing disability measures has been assessed using their correlation with the pure-tone average (PTA) hearing loss for non-cognitively impaired adults. However, for people with cognitive impairment, factors in addition to the PTA can play a role in their self-reported difficulties. Patients with cognitive impairment may experience more hearing difficulties due to their brain processing sounds abnormally, irrespective of PTA. (2) Methods: Three groups of hearing aid users who had normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment and dementia were recruited. Self-reported hearing abilities were assessed with the modified Amsterdam inventory for auditory disability (mAIAD) and the speech, spatial and qualities of hearing scale (SSQ). (3) Results: The SSQ and mAIAD scores were highly correlated with each other for all three groups. However, a correlation with objective PTA was found in the normal cognition but not the cognitively impaired groups. Self-reported hearing scores were associated with cognitive scores for the dementia group (4) Discussion: In people with combined cognitive and hearing impairment, PTA alone may be a poor predictor of hearing abilities. Subjective hearing questionnaires together with hearing tests may provide a better understanding of their hearing difficulties.