The Deaf Community's Experiences Navigating COVID-19 Pandemic Information

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Communication
• Health Equity

Background:

• Deaf individuals using American Sign Language (ASL) face health information access barriers, leading to health knowledge and literacy gaps.
• Limited availability of COVID-19 information in ASL disadvantages the deaf community in accessing reliable health guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare COVID-19 information access between deaf and hearing participants.
• To assess the impact of communication barriers on health literacy and preventive strategy adoption.

Main Methods:

• Survey of 104 deaf and 74 hearing adults on COVID-19 information access and health literacy.
• Data collection via video conference, smartphone apps, or phone calls (April-July 2020).
• Utilized Newest Vital Sign (NVS) and ASL-NVS for health literacy assessment.

Main Results:

• Deaf participants were 4.7 times more likely to report difficulty accessing COVID-19 information (p = .011).
• No difference in identifying COVID-19 symptoms between groups.
• Deaf adults used more preventive strategies but were less likely to stay home and call their doctor if symptomatic (p = .020).

Conclusions:

• Accessible health information in ASL is crucial for the deaf community.
• Public health initiatives must ensure equitable access to information for all populations.
• Enhanced guidance on COVID-19 management and accessible healthcare navigation is needed for deaf individuals.