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Original Article

Reasons for hearing aid uptake in the United States: a qualitative analysis of open-text responses from a large-scale survey of user-perspectives

Megan Knoetzea Department of Speech-language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa;b Virtual Hearing Lab, Collaborative Initiative between University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA, and University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South AfricaORCID Iconhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7187-9281
ORCID Icon,
Eldre Beukesb Virtual Hearing Lab, Collaborative Initiative between University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA, and University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa;c Vision and Hearing Sciences Research Group, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UKORCID Iconhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9434-9160
ORCID Icon,
Vinaya Manchaiaha Department of Speech-language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa;b Virtual Hearing Lab, Collaborative Initiative between University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA, and University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa;d Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA;e UCHealth Hearing and Balance, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, Colorado, USA;f Department of Speech and Hearing, School of Allied Health Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, IndiaORCID Iconhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1254-8407
ORCID Icon,
Ilze Oosthuizena Department of Speech-language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa;b Virtual Hearing Lab, Collaborative Initiative between University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA, and University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South AfricaORCID Iconhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4731-0669
ORCID Icon &
De Wet Swanepoela Department of Speech-language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa;b Virtual Hearing Lab, Collaborative Initiative between University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA, and University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa;d Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA;g Ear Science Institute Australia, Subiaco, AustraliaCorrespondence[email protected]
ORCID Iconhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-8313-1636
ORCID Icon
Received 02 Aug 2023, Accepted 31 Oct 2023, Published online: 22 Nov 2023
 
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Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to explore the main reasons for hearing aid uptake from a user perspective and recommendations to others with hearing difficulties.

Design

A cross-sectional survey design was used. Responses to a single open-ended question were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Study sample

Participants (n = 642) included adult hearing aid users sampled from the Hearing Tracker website community and Lexie Hearing user databases in the United States.

Results

Participants had a mean age of 65.4 years (13.7 SD) and included 61.8% males, 37.7% females, 0.3% non-binary, and 0.2% preferred not to say. Reasons for hearing aid uptake were categorised into three domains (personal impact, social difficulties, and auditory difficulties), containing 11 main categories and 48 sub-categories. User recommendations to others with hearing difficulties constituted eight main categories (timely help, trial period, support, affordability, technology, direct-to-consumer hearing aids, adjustments, and advocacy) and 32 sub-categories.

Conclusions

The decision to take up hearing aids included intrinsic factors like readiness to change and extrinsic factors such as the availability of finances. The most frequent recommendation to others was not to delay seeking hearing help and to get hearing aids. Our findings may support strategies to facilitate behaviour change for improved hearing aid uptake.

Disclosure statement

The relationship between author De Wet Swanepoel and the hearX Group, which owns Lexie Hearing, includes equity, consulting, and potential royalties. The other authors have declared that no other competing financial or nonfinancial interests existed at the time of publication.

Data availability statement

The data analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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