Development of a Risk-Factor Questionnaire for the Infant Ear and Hearing Program in Samoa

Annette Kaspar; Carlie Driscoll; Sione Pifeleti

doi:10.1007/s10995-021-03208-1

Development of a Risk-Factor Questionnaire for the Infant Ear and Hearing Program in Samoa

Matern Child Health J. 2021 Oct;25(10):1501-1507. doi: 10.1007/s10995-021-03208-1. Epub 2021 Aug 14.

Authors

Annette Kaspar^{1

2

3}, Carlie Driscoll⁴, Sione Pifeleti⁵

Affiliations

¹ ENT Department, Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital, Ministry of Health, Apia, Samoa. annette.kaspar@gmail.com.
² Hearing Research Unit for Children, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. annette.kaspar@gmail.com.
³ Public Health, Development and Research Audiologist for the Pacific Islands, ENT Department, Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital, Ministry of Health, Apia, Samoa. annette.kaspar@gmail.com.
⁴ Hearing Research Unit for Children, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
⁵ ENT Department, Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital, Ministry of Health, Apia, Samoa.

PMID: 34390427
DOI: 10.1007/s10995-021-03208-1

Abstract

Purpose: Congenital hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder present at birth. While universal newborn hearing screening is the standard for most high-income countries, alternative models are under consideration for most low and middle-income countries. The Pacific Islands have among the highest rates of paediatric ear disease and deafness in the world, and an interim Infant Ear and Hearing Program is currently being developed for the Polynesian nation of Samoa. The inclusion of a routine risk-factor questionnaire for childhood deafness in the Infant Ear and Hearing Program package is a feasible alternative for well-baby clinics in Samoa.

Description: The World Health Organisation advocates that all member states should implement newborn and infant hearing screening. This includes a risk-factor questionnaire developed from the joint committee on infant hearing risk-factors, as well as additional risk-factors unique to low and middle income countries. The present paper examines all known risk-factors for childhood deafness to develop an appropriate and evidence-based questionnaire for inclusion in the Samoan Child Health Book and Infant Ear and Hearing Program package.

Assessment: From a starting point of 19 risk-factors, 11 risk-factors were included with no changes; 5 risk-factors were modified to align with current health service availability in Samoa; 2 risk-factors were excluded due to cultural inappropriateness and irrelevance for Samoa; and 1 risk-factor was added for our Samoan and Pacific Island context.

Conclusion: There are 17 items on the final risk-factor questionnaire for childhood deafness developed for Samoa. The Infant Ear and Hearing Program package will also include ear examinations and monitoring of hearing developmental milestones. The risk-factor questionnaire will be reviewed again in 5 years' time for the next edition of the Samoan Child Health Book.

Keywords: Audiology; Pacific Islands; Public health; Risk-factors.

MeSH terms

Child
Hearing*
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Pacific Islands
Risk Factors
Samoa
Surveys and Questionnaires