Activity Limitation and Participation Restriction in Adults Seeking Hearing Aid Fitting and Rehabilitation
By Helvik, Anne-Sofie; Jacobsen, Geir; Wennberg, Siri; Arnesen, Haakon; Ringdahl, Anders; Hallberg, Lillemor R-M..; Disability and Rehabilitation, Vol. 28, No. 5, pp. 281-288Publication Date: March 2006
Study examined the relationship between demographic and audiological characteristics of adults referred for hearing aid fitting and rehabilitation, and the life consequences of hearing impairment. Three hundred forty-three patients who did and did not have previous hearing aid (HA) experience were studied over a 1-year period. Participants rated the severity of their hearing problems and completed the Hearing Disability and Handicap Scale, which was used to assess life consequences in terms of activity limitation and participation restriction. The mean threshold of hearing was measured by pure tone thresholds in the better ear. Activity limitation and participation restriction were analyzed by age, gender, and levels of hearing impairment among patients with and without previous HA experience. Compared to patients without HA experience, more activity limitation and participation restriction were observed for patients with HA experience of all ages except the youngest age group (20 to 49 years). Both males and females with previous HA experience had higher scores on activity limitation and participation restriction than those without HA experience. Regression analyses indicated that duration of hearing problems predicted activity limitation, while younger age and female gender were predictors for participation restriction. Yet, the predictor variables in the final best models were restricted to explain 43.4 percent of the adjusted variance for activity limitation and 28.4 percent of the adjusted variance for participation restriction.
Published by: Taylor & Francis, Limited (Website:http://taylorandfrancis.org)
International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (Web Site: http://www.isprm.org )
