title: Application of the health belief model: development of the hearing beliefs questionnaire (HBQ) and its associations with hearing health behaviors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a hearing beliefs questionnaire (HBQ) that assesses hearing beliefs within the constructs of the health belief model, and to investigate whether HBQ scores are associated with hearing health behaviors.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 60-item version of the questionnaire was developed and completed by 223 participants who also provided information about their hearing health behaviors (help seeking, hearing-aid acquisition, and hearing-aid use).
  
  
  METHODS
  Individuals aged between 22 and 90 years recruited from a primary care waiting area at a Veterans hospital. Seventy-six percent were male, 80% were Veterans.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 26-item version of the HBQ with six scales was derived using factor analysis and reliability analyses. The scales measured: perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, perceived self-efficacy, and cues to action. HBQ scores differed significantly between individuals with different hearing health behaviors. Logistic regression analyses resulted in robust models of hearing health behaviors that correctly classified between 59% and 100% of participant hearing health behaviors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The HBM appears to be an appropriate framework for examining hearing health behaviors, and the HBQ is a valuable tool for assessing hearing health beliefs and predicting hearing health behaviors.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, OR 97239, USA. gabrielle.saunders@va.gov
authors.forename: Gabrielle H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Melissa Teahen
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Frederick
authors.forename: Shienpei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Silverman
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Papesh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment / Q000295:instrumentation; D003463:Cues; D003469:Culture; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006309:Hearing; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009922:Oregon; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010465:Perception; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult