title: Exploring the influence of culture on hearing help-seeking and hearing-aid uptake.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this paper was to highlight the importance of cultural influence in understanding hearing-help seeking and hearing-aid uptake.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information on audiological services in different countries and 'theories related to cross-culture' is presented, followed by a general discussion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven relevant literature reviews on hearing impairment, cross-cultural studies, and the health psychology model and others as secondary resources.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Despite the adverse consequences of hearing impairment and the significant potential benefits of audiological rehabilitation, only a small number of those with hearing impairment seek professional help and take up appropriate rehabilitation. Therefore, hearing help-seeking and hearing-aid uptake has recently become the hot topic for clinicians and researchers. Previous research has identified many contributing factors for hearing help-seeking with self-reported hearing disability being one of the main factors. Although significant differences in help-seeking and hearing-aid adoption rates have been reported across countries in population studies, limited literature on the influence of cross-cultural factors in this area calls for an immediate need for research.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This paper highlights the importance of psychological models and cross-cultural research in the area of hearing help-seeking and hearing-aid uptake, and consequently some directions for future research are proposed.
authors.affiliation: * Department of Hearing and Speech Science, Xinhua College, Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou , China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Vinaya
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Manchaiah
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: St Claire
authors.forename: Berth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Danermark
authors.forename: Lesley
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brandreth
authors.forename: Rajalakshmi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krishna
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Goodwin
mesh_terms: D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment / Q000523:psychology*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000523:psychology*; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D000066505:Help-Seeking Behavior; D006801:Humans
keywords: Culture; cross-cultural communication; hearing aids; hearing help-seeking; hearing loss