Social determinants of health associated with attitudes towards hearing loss and hearing aids in older adults fitted in a Latin American country: validation of the ALHQ questionnaire into Spanish

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between certain social determinants of health (i.e. educational level, income, and social support) and attitudes towards hearing loss and hearing aids among older adults with hearing loss fitted in a Latin American country. Design Older adults were asked about their attitudes towards hearing loss and hearing aids, years of formal education, income, social support, perception of having a hearing disability, and social pressure when using the hearing aid. To do so, we adapted the Attitudes towards Loss of Hearing Questionnaire (S-ALHQ) into Spanish. All the questionnaires were conducted as structured interview. Study sample Two hundred fifty-two older hearing aids users were recruited from a public hospital in Chile. Results The S-ALHQ showed adequate validity, along with good reliability. The multivariate models showed that educational level and social support were the social determinants of health negatively associated with the attitudes. Aided hearing disability and social pressure to use hearing aids were the co-variables associated with S-ALHQ scores. Conclusions The study showed a significant relationship between specific social determinants of health and attitudes towards hearing loss and hearing aids. These attitudes should be considered when implementing rehabilitation programs for older adults with hearing loss.