Factors affecting hearing aids efficiency in children with hearing loss at South Sinai

ABSTRACT

Hearing loss can cause significant educational and social problems. The prevalence of hearing loss in Egypt equals 16.02%. The present study was done to evaluate the role of factors affecting rehabilitative interventions in children using hearing aids. Data including type of hearing aid, mode of use [binaurally/ monaurally] and time of fitting were studied. The impact of social variables as the educational level of parents, family size and availability of water supply, electricity and sewage were also studied. Twenty nine children and adolescents, aged 3.5-18 years were studied. They were complaining of hearing loss and already fitted with hearing aid[s]. All children were subjected to otoscopy, tympanometry and pure tone audiometry. Children were living at different cities in South Sinai [Ras Sidre, Abu Redeis, El-Tur and Nuwaibaa]. These children were recruited from two special schools for deaf and hard of hearing through an expanded health program at South Sinai. The results reflected the demographic nature of these areas of consanguineous marriage and herido-familial type of hearing loss. The study showed that there was no significant relationship between consistency of hearing aid use and the mode of its use whether monaural or binaural on language acquisition and scholastic achievement. Among all the social factors that were studied only the parental education had a significant relationship with level of scholastic achievement [p= 0.007]. The study referred to the importance of early detection of hearing loss in children and the importance of proper fitting of hearing aid. It emphasized the importance of mainstreaming with the availability of qualified professionals and improved service provision. Also it high lightened the importance of parental education with hope of upgrading the social, educational and cultural level of population