Impacts of hearing loss on social dining: Perceptions and acceptance of food and eating environments, and engagements

Loud background noise poses a significant challenge in social dining for the hard-of-hearing community. This study aimed to determine the effect of hearing loss on individuals’ experiences with respect to perception and acceptance of food and eating environments, and engagements during social dining by comparing the two groups of normal hearing (NH) and hearing loss (HL). Participants in the NH and HL groups were asked to evaluate their perception and acceptance of garlic bread and pita chips while dining together in an immersive room designed to replicate the dining atmosphere of a local restaurant. The participants of this study were strangers to one another. During a social dining task, participants were also asked to rate perception and experience of eating environments as well as their interactions and engagements. The results showed that the HL group, in comparison to the NH group, exhibited a lower acceptance for the texture of garlic bread and perceived its flavors as less intense. Unlike the NH group, the HL group did not exhibit a significant correlation between the perceived intensities of biting sounds and crispness of pita chips. The HL group reported disliking raising their voices during social dining more frequently compared to the NH group. The HL group also exhibited significantly less engagement during a social dining task than the NH group. In conclusion, this study provides empirical evidence that hearing loss impacts individuals’ perception and acceptance of the food they consume, as well as their engagement in dining experiences during social meals.