Impact of Hearing Aids on Poverty, Quality of Life and Mental Health in Guatemala: Results of a before and after Study

Mark Spreckley, David Macleod, Brenda González Trampe, Andrew Smith and Hannah Kuper
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Mark Spreckley: Health and Social Care/Allied Health Sciences, London South Bank University, London SE11 0AA, UK
David Macleod: Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Brenda González Trampe: Independent Consultant, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Andrew Smith: International Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Hannah Kuper: International Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-10

Abstract: There are 466 million people globally with disabling hearing loss, many of whom can benefit from hearing aids. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of providing hearing aids on poverty, mental health, quality of life, and activities, among adults in Guatemala. A nonrandomised before and after study was conducted, with a comparison group to assess for secular trends. Adult cases with bilateral hearing impairment were identified within 150 km of Guatemala City, as well as age- and sex-matched comparison subjects without disabling hearing loss. All participants were interviewed with a semistructured questionnaire, and cases were offered hearing aids. Participants were reinterviewed 6–9 months later. We interviewed 135 cases and 89 comparison subjects at baseline and follow-up. At baseline, cases were poorer than comparison subjects with respect to individual income ( p = 0.01), household income ( p = 0.02), and per capita expenditure (PCE) ( p = 0.003). After provision of hearing aids, median household income improved among cases ( p = 0.03). In the comparison group, median individual income ( p = 0.01) and PCE ( p = 0.03) fell between baseline at follow-up. At follow-up, there were also improvements in productive time use, quality of life, and depressive symptoms among cases, but these were less apparent in the comparison group. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated a positive effect of hearing aids in improving quality of life, economic circumstances and mental health among Guatemalan adults.

Keywords: Guatemala; poverty; quality of life; mental health; hearing aids (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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