Evaluating a Theoretically Informed and Cocreated Mobile Health Educational Intervention for First-Time Hearing Aid...

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Digital Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Adults with hearing loss often have limited knowledge about hearing aids, leading to underutilization.
• Effective educational resources are crucial for improving hearing aid adoption and use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the user experience of a novel mobile health (mHealth) educational intervention, m2Hear, for first-time hearing aid users.
• To assess m2Hear's ability to provide individualized and interactive learning compared to previous interventions.

Main Methods:

• 16 first-time hearing aid users participated in a 10-week trial of the m2Hear intervention in their daily lives.
• Data were collected through individual semistructured interviews and analyzed using deductive thematic analysis based on the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behavior model.

Main Results:

• Users found m2Hear to be a concise, comprehensive, and easy-to-use resource, suitable for various digital literacy levels.
• The intervention improved user confidence, independence, and self-management of hearing loss through personalized support and accessibility via mobile technology.

Conclusions:

• The m2Hear intervention successfully aids first-time hearing aid users in self-managing their hearing loss post-fitting.
• A combined theoretical and ecologically valid approach is effective for developing mHealth educational resources for adults with hearing loss.