A Qualitative Study of the Hearing Aid Step-Counting Feature in Active Older Adults

The use of hearing aid-based step counting may offer objective measurement of activity, but there is little published literature on the perspectives of older adult users in using this feature. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively describe the experiences and motivation for using a hearing aid step-counting feature in a sample of active older adults.

A prospective qualitative research design was employed with the use of focus groups with active older adult participants who were fitted with hearing aids with a step-counting feature. Twelve older adults with hearing loss (age range: 64-88 years) were recruited in this study. Half of the participants were experienced hearing aid users. Participants were recruited from two physical activity groups with varying intensity levels.

The majority of participants were physically active and had prior experience using step-counting features on alternative devices. Major themes were Goal Setting and Health Monitoring, Device Use, and Movement and Motivation Factors. Background experiences and individual perspectives related to the reasons and motivations for using hearing aids for monitoring daily step count were the major subthemes.

Participants who engaged in light-intensity physical activity were more likely to be motivated to monitor daily step count using the hearing aids. Participants' perspectives on the reason for motivation varied between cursory monitoring to stay consistently active and striving to meet a daily step objective.

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.32159181.