Development and evaluation of a questionnaire to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards hearing loss prevention.
OBJECTIVE
To develop and evaluate a questionnaire assessing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (KAB) as they pertain to hearing conservation, using the constructs of the health belief model (HBM).


METHODS
The KAB was completed by 235 participants. Relationships between knowledge and attitudes about hearing and hearing conservation, participation in noisy activities, and use of hearing protection were examined.


METHODS
117 males and 118 females aged between 18 and 80 years (mean = 42.3, SD = 4.1) recruited from the Portland VA Medical Center, local universities, and a community college.


RESULTS
Knowledge scores ranged from 15.6% to 93.8%. Factor analyses revealed six attitude factors, interpreted as measuring perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, perceived self-efficacy, and cues to action. Over 95% of participants routinely participated in at least one noisy activity but few used hearing protection while doing so. The attitude scores of individuals who used hearing protection differed significantly from the scores of those who did not.


CONCLUSIONS
Significant relationships between use of hearing protection and scores on the KAB provide validation that the HBM is a valuable framework for understanding hearing health behaviors, and evidence that the KAB is a valid tool for assessing these attitudes and behaviors.
* National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR), Portland VA Medical Center , Portland , USA.
Gabrielle H
GH
Saunders
Serena M
SM
Dann
Susan E
SE
Griest
Melissa T
MT
Frederick
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003469:Culture; D004430:Ear Protective Devices; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects; D010465:Perception; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000379:methods*; D065840:Protective Factors; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult