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Evaluating the Effectiveness of Community-Delivered Hearing Rehabilitation and Health Education Intervention on
Jiamin Gao1, Yuying Zhang2, Xiaqing Jiang2
1School of Sociology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Background:
Hearing impairment (HI) is a common sensory deficit with considerable impacts on social well-being (SWB) in adults. Evidence on the effectiveness of auditory rehabilitation and hearing health education in the social domain of health for individuals with HI is scarce.
Objective:
This study aims to test the feasibility and efficacy of providing free hearing aids or a combined offline and online hearing health education intervention on social isolation and functioning among Chinese adults with HI.
Methods:
This study is a 3-arm, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a follow-up at 24 months after the baseline study. A total of 435 participants aged 18 years and older with some degree of HI will be recruited and randomly assigned to 2 intervention groups and 1 control group. Free hearing-aid provision, as well as a hearing health education program that is combined with online and offline lessons, will be implemented in 2 intervention groups, respectively. The control group will not receive any intervention. The primary outcomes include social isolation and functioning in society. The secondary outcomes include social engagement, a sense of mastery, self-efficacy, psychological resilience, chronic diseases, life satisfaction, hearing health literacy, and hearing care usage.
Results:
Participants were recruited for hearing tests in September 2022, during which baseline results were collected through in-person interviews. Follow-up interviews were conducted in September 2024. The primary analysis will use ANOVA, linear mixed-effects modeling, structural equation modeling, and cost-effectiveness analysis.
Conclusions:
The findings of this study will provide evidence for the impact and cost-effectiveness of a community-based auditory or hearing health education intervention on SWB among Chinese adults with HI, which may contribute to promoting hearing health and reducing adverse health consequences in an aging society.
Trial Registration:
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2200062148; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=174741.
International Registered Report Identifier (Irrid):
DERR1-10.2196/64115.
