Food Worry in the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID) pandemic has highlighted preexisting health disparities, including food insecurity, in the deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) population. We examined factors associated with food worry during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We collected survey data on worry about food shortages, worry about contracting COVID-19, and concerns about DHH people staying home and being lonely from April 17 through May 1, 2020, via a bilingual American Sign Language/English online survey platform. The sample consisted of 537 DHH adults living in the United States. We examined the relationship between demographic characteristics and food worry. We used logistic regression and model fitting to predict the likelihood of experiencing food worry. RESULTS: The mean (SD) age of survey respondents was 47 (16), and 25% of the sample identified as people of color. Forty-two percent of survey respondents had a high level of food worry. Increased worry about contracting COVID-19 and concerns about DHH people staying home and being lonely among DHH younger adults or those without a college degree predicted food worry. Gender and race/ethnicity did not contribute to the model for food worry. CONCLUSIONS: Food worry was explained by multiple, intersecting factors, including demographic variables, worry about contracting COVID-19, and concerns about loneliness. Interventions or programs implemented by DHH-serving organizations as well as government programs, social service providers, and food banks should be fully accessible to subgroups of DHH young adults without a college degree who are at risk for food insecurity.

Impacts of face coverings on communication: an indirect impact of COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the impact of face coverings on hearing and communication. DESIGN: An online survey consisting of closed-set and open-ended questions distributed within the UK to gain insights into experiences of interactions involving face coverings, and of the impact of face coverings on communication. SAMPLE: Four hundred and sixty members of the general public were recruited via snowball sampling. People with hearing loss were intentionally oversampled to more thoroughly assess the effect of face coverings in this group. RESULTS: With few exceptions, participants reported that face coverings negatively impacted hearing, understanding, engagement, and feelings of connection with the speaker. Impacts were greatest when communicating in medical situations. People with hearing loss were significantly more impacted than those without hearing loss. Face coverings impacted communication content, interpersonal connectedness, and willingness to engage in conversation; they increased anxiety and stress, and made communication fatiguing, frustrating and embarrassing - both as a speaker wearing a face covering, and when listening to someone else who is wearing one. CONCLUSIONS: Face coverings have far-reaching impacts on communication for everyone, but especially for people with hearing loss. These findings illustrate the need for communication-friendly face-coverings, and emphasise the need to be communication-aware when wearing a face covering.

Covid-19 Lockdown Affects Hearing Disability and Handicap in Diverse Ways: A Rapid Online Survey Study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore the perceived effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) social distancing restrictions and safety measures on people with hearing loss. DESIGN: Participants were 129 adults (48.1% female, mean age 64.4 years) with an audiometric hearing loss, living in Glasgow, Scotland. A rapidly deployed 24-item online questionnaire asked about the effects of certain aspects of lockdown, including face masks, social distancing, and video calling, on participants' behavior, emotions, hearing performance, practical issues, and tinnitus. Data were analyzed descriptively across the entire sample, and with Chi-squared tests for differences between subgroups self-reporting relatively good and relatively poor unaided hearing, respectively. Additional free-text responses provided further perspectives. RESULTS: Behavior: Video calls are used more frequently than prelockdown. The better-hearing group use their hearing aids less. Emotions: There is increased anxiety (especially among the worse hearing group) concerning verbal communication situations and access to audiology services, and greater rumination about one's own hearing loss. Enjoyment of group video calls is mixed. The worse hearing group shows substantial relief at not being obliged to attend challenging social gatherings. Across both groups, a majority would like to see all key workers equipped with transparent face masks. Hearing performance: A large majority finds it hard to converse with people in face masks due to muffled sound and lack of speechreading cues, but conversing at a safe distance is not universally problematic. In the worse hearing group, performance in video calls is generally inferior to face-to-face, but similar to telephone calls. Those who use live subtitling in video calls appreciate their value. TV and radio updates about Covid-19 are easy to follow for most respondents. There is only weak evidence of face mask fixtures interfering with hearing aids on the ear, and of tinnitus having worsened during lockdown. CONCLUSIONS: With due regard for the limitations of this rapid study, we find that there are many negative-and a few positive-effects of Covid-19 restrictions and safety measures on people with hearing loss. From a societal perspective, the widespread adoption of clear face masks may alleviate some of the difficulties and anxieties this population experience. From an individual perspective, one may consider using live subtitles on video calls. Manufacturers of hearing devices should consider developing processing modes and accessories specifically designed for video calls. Finally, repair and maintenance services should be resumed as soon as it is safe to do so.