Situational assessment of age of suspicion, diagnosis, and intervention of hearing loss in pediatric population in India and factors that influence them

IF 2.3 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health Pub Date : 2024-09-16 DOI:10.1016/j.cegh.2024.101801

C.P. Indira, Sandeep Maruthy

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

In the absence of newborn hearing screening, identification of childhood hearing loss is primarily mediated by parents’ help-seeking behaviour. This study attempted to measure the variables age of suspicion, diagnosis, and intervention of congenital hearing loss in India in a large cohort to verify the efficiency of this approach. It aimed to study the influence of parental perceived awareness, accessibility, and affordability on these milestones.

Method

Data were collected through a survey method of research using a pre-developed questionnaire as the instrument. The study involved 384 parents of children with hearing loss receiving hearing healthcare services from various healthcare institutions and clinics in Karnataka, India.

Results

The mean age of suspicion, diagnosis, and intervention of hearing loss after data analysis were 18.6, 25.0, and 30.6 months, respectively. Earlier parental suspicion of hearing loss was associated with earlier diagnosis and intervention in the child. While less than 4 % of the cohort was diagnosed before three months, less than 1 % received intervention within six months of age. Lack of awareness, accessibility, and affordability significantly delayed these milestones. Among the participants, 15.03 % had experienced at least one of the three barriers (lack of awareness, accessibility, and affordability), whereas 35.28 % had reported two barriers, and 41.71 % had reported all three barriers for their help-seeking behavior.

Conclusions

Relying on parental help-seeking behaviour cannot result in early identification and intervention required for optimum pediatric hearing healthcare. India should implement comprehensive early hearing detection and intervention program that includes universal newborn hearing screening and addresses awareness, accessibility, and affordability of hearing healthcare services as critical components.

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对印度儿童听力损失的怀疑、诊断和干预年龄及其影响因素进行情况评估

目标在没有新生儿听力筛查的情况下，儿童听力损失的识别主要依靠父母的求助行为。本研究试图在印度的一个大型队列中测量先天性听力损失的怀疑年龄、诊断和干预变量，以验证这种方法的效率。该研究旨在研究家长的认知度、可及性和经济承受能力对这些里程碑的影响。方法通过调查研究法收集数据，使用预先开发的问卷作为工具。研究涉及 384 名在印度卡纳塔克邦各医疗机构和诊所接受听力保健服务的听力损失儿童的家长。结果经过数据分析，听力损失的怀疑、诊断和干预的平均年龄分别为 18.6 个月、25.0 个月和 30.6 个月。父母较早怀疑孩子有听力损失与较早对孩子进行诊断和干预有关。只有不到 4% 的儿童在 3 个月前被确诊，不到 1% 的儿童在 6 个月内接受了干预。缺乏认识、难以获得和负担不起大大推迟了这些里程碑的到来。在参与者中，有 15.03% 的人在寻求帮助时至少遇到过三种障碍中的一种（缺乏认识、难以获得和负担不起），有 35.28% 的人遇到过两种障碍，有 41.71% 的人遇到过所有三种障碍。印度应实施全面的早期听力检测和干预计划，其中包括普及新生儿听力筛查，并将听力保健服务的认知度、可及性和可负担性作为重要组成部分。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

CiteScore

4.60

自引率

7.70%

发文量

218

审稿时长

66 days

期刊介绍： Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health (CEGH) is a multidisciplinary journal and it is published four times (March, June, September, December) a year. The mandate of CEGH is to promote articles on clinical epidemiology with focus on developing countries in the context of global health. We also accept articles from other countries. It publishes original research work across all disciplines of medicine and allied sciences, related to clinical epidemiology and global health. The journal publishes Original articles, Review articles, Evidence Summaries, Letters to the Editor. All articles published in CEGH are peer-reviewed and published online for immediate access and citation.