BMC geriatrics
Consumer preferences for hearing health care information and services as described by older adults surveyed in Australia, Canada, England, and the United States
By Alnafjan F, Davis AC, Lee ML and 5 others.
Abstract
Background
Age-related hearing loss is a global public health concern and yet hearing health care (HHC) services remain underutilized. Understanding the HHC experiences of older adults is essential to addressing why existing systems are underutilized. Therefore, we surveyed older adults to determine their preferences for HHC service delivery. In this cross-sectional survey study, we report where they preferred to obtain HHC information, undergo hearing tests, and acquire hearing devices. We also examined whether these preferences varied by degree of hearing loss, help-seeking experience, survey mode (online or in person), age, or country.
Methods
Using survey questions that were co-created with consumers, responses were collected online and in person prior to the pandemic (2016-2018) in the United States (USA), Canada (CAN), Australia (AUS), and England (EN). Third-party firms recruited convenience samples from each region. Participants, aged 60 + and proficient in English, responded to three questions: "Where would you prefer to get information about HHC?" (8,151 respondents, 14 response options), "Where would you most like to get your hearing tested?" (8,035 respondents, 8 options), and "From which of the following places would you MOST like to get hearing aids (or other types of hearing devices) if you needed them?" (8,151 respondents, 11 options). Participants could select multiple options. Hearing thresholds were obtained from in-person respondents and used to impute hearing loss estimates for online respondents.