Development of A Questionnaire in English and Kannada to Evaluate the Awareness About Hearing Disability, Central Government Schemes and Policies for Individuals with Hearing Impairment

Abstract

Hearing loss can affect individuals at any age, impacting communication, work performance, quality of life, and overall well-being. Early rehabilitation is essential for enhancing function, activity, and participation. India, being a developing country where almost 70% of the people are living in rural have minimum to very few facilities to rehabilitate persons with hearing impairment. To improve the quality of life, the Govt of India has introduced several schemes and provided different facilities. However, it is unclear whether people are aware of such schemes and facilities or not. However, there is limited Information available on the awareness of central government schemes available for hearing-impaired individuals in India, and also an extensive and systematically developed questionnaire that can be administered to obtain the information. Aim of the study: The present study aimed to develop a questionnaire in English and in Kannada also to evaluate the current level of awareness amongst individuals with hearing impairment and/or their families/ caregivers about hearing loss, disabilities-related issues, and various central government schemes and programs for hearing impaired individuals and/or their families/ caregivers. Methods: To fulfill the objectives of the study, initially, a questionnaire was developed using several previously published questionnaires and standard web-based resources. This, in turn helped us to create a comprehensive list of questions both in English and in Kannada addressing various issues related to hearing loss, disabilities, and government schemes available for the hearing-impaired population. Additionally, it was validated by 7 experienced audiologists for content validation and any further modification required. Further, the developed questionnaire was administered to 100 participants (80 Kannada version, 20 English version). Results: Two questionnaires one in English and one in Kannada (translated) were developed having 3 section. Section I about demographic details, Section II cover the domain 1 having questions related to hearing loss and disabilities and Section III covers domain 2 having question related to Central Govt Schemes and Programs. The questionnaire has a total of 37 questions under domain 1 and domain 2. Regarding awareness. The results of the study showed that, the underage participants had better awareness. Gender, residence and socioeconomic status showed no significant difference in awareness about hearing disability and available central government schemes. However, significant differences were observed between the age groups (underage groups showed better awareness), education levels and occupational groups. Additionally, individuals with profound hearing loss, children with congenital hearing loss and participants using cochlear implantation showed greater awareness compared to other groups. These results can be attributed to the parental involvement and active information-seeking. Conclusions: The present study suggests lack of awareness of central government schemes and policies for individuals with hearing impairment. Hence, it highlights for further need of efficient awareness building programs across India.