Ear Care and Hearing Health Awareness Among Female Community Health Volunteers in Nepal

The primary cause of hearing loss in Nepalese children is chronic otitis media. General lack of awareness about ear and hearing health, paired with usage of traditional malpractices to treat common ear problems, has contributed to an increased morbidity of chronic otitis media and consequent hearing loss. The aim is to evaluate the practices and awareness of ear and hearing health among female community health volunteers (FCHVs).

Cross-sectional study. Data were collected between January 2021 and January 2023.

Seven municipalities of Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur districts of Nepal.

2154 female community health volunteers.

FCHVs were interviewed using structured questionnaire prepared in local language to examine their level of awareness about ear care and hearing health. Demographics of the participants, awareness and common practices in ear and hearing health were documented and studied.

A total of 2154 FCHVs, age ranging from 20 to 65 years old participated in the study. The majority of the FCHVs have at least a secondary level education (n = 912, 42.34%) and only 14.21% (n = 306) of FCHVs surveyed are illiterate. Out of 2154 effective responses, 91.36% (n = 1968) reported cleaning their ears regularly using cotton buds, metallic loops and feathers. Sixty-one percent of them accept the traditional method of instilling oil or other home remedies into their ears, and 45.13% (n = 972) report using eardrops without prescription to self-treat ear problems. The majority of participants are aware that loud noise and ear infections may cause hearing loss.

There is a poor knowledge about ear and hearing health among FCHVs in Nepal. Health volunteers play an integral role in promoting preventive care at the community level. This study highlights a need for awareness about ear and hearing health among this key demographic in order to prevent avoidable hearing loss in Nepal.