Hearing Health Equity Through Accessible Research and Solutions for Korean Americans

Hearing Health Equity Through Accessible Research and Solutions for Korean Americans

The objective of this study is to test the effect of a community-delivered, affordable, and accessible hearing care intervention on improving communication function and health-related quality of life among older Korean Americans (KA) and the older Korean American's care partners that integrates a low-cost over-the-counter amplification device and hearing rehabilitation in comparison to a 6-month delayed treatment group through a cluster randomized controlled study.

PARTICIPANT CRITERIA Participant inclusion criteria

• Self-identified as first-generation KA in the target region
• Age 60 years or older
• Has a communication partner who lives in the same household or has at least weekly interactions
• Screening audiometry Pure-tone audiometry (PTA)1,2,4 kilohertz (kHz) >25 decibel (dB) hearing loss (HL) in better ear
• Hearing handicap as measured by HHIE-S score >=8 Participant exclusion criteria
• Current use of hearing aid
• Medical contraindications to use amplification device (e.g., draining ear)
• Plan to move from the area within 6 months
• Active treatment for a terminal illness or in hospice

COMMUNICATION PARTNER CRITERIA Communication Partner inclusion criteria

• Age 18 years or older
• Able to read and speak Korean
• Lives with the older adult or has at least weekly interactions Communication Partner exclusion criteria
• Plan to move from the area within 6 months
• Active treatment for a terminal illness or in hospice