OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The prevalence of hearing loss (HL) in adolescents has grown over the past decade, but hearing-related quality of life (QOL) has not been well-measured. We sought to develop a reliable, valid measure of hearing-related QOL for adolescents and the Hearing Environments And Reflection on Quality of Life (HEAR-QL). STUDY DESIGN: Multisite observational study. METHODS: Adolescents with HL and siblings without HL were recruited from five centers. Participants completed the HEAR-QL and validated questionnaires measuring generic pediatric QOL (PedsQL), depression and anxiety (RCADS-25), and hearing-related QOL for adults (HHIA) to determine construct and discriminant validity. Participants completed the HEAR-QL 2 weeks later for test-retest reliability. We used exploratory principal components analysis to determine the HEAR-QL factor structure and measured reliability. Sensitivity and specificity of the HEAR-QL, PedsQL, HHIA, and RCADS-25 were assessed. We compared scores on all surveys between those with normal hearing, unilateral, and bilateral HL. RESULTS: A total of 233 adolescents (13-18 years old) participated: 179 with HL, 54 without HL. The original 45-item HEAR-QL was shortened to 28 items after determining factor structure. The resulting HEAR-QL-28 demonstrated excellent reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.95) and construct validity (HHIA: r = .845, PedsQL: r = .587; RCADS-25: r = .433). The HEAR-QL-28 displayed excellent discriminant validity, with higher area under the curve (0.932) than the PedsQL (0.597) or RCADS-25 (0.529). Teens with bilateral HL using hearing devices reported worse QOL on the HEAR-QL and HHIA than peers with HL not using devices. CONCLUSIONS: The HEAR-QL is a sensitive, reliable, and valid measure of hearing-related QOL for adolescents. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The prevalence of hearing loss (HL) in adolescents has grown over the past decade, but hearing-related quality of life (QOL) has not been well-measured. We sought to develop a reliable, valid measure of hearing-related QOL for adolescents and the Hearing Environments And Reflection on Quality of Life (HEAR-QL). STUDY DESIGN: Multisite observational study. METHODS: Adolescents with HL and siblings without HL were recruited from five centers. Participants completed the HEAR-QL and validated questionnaires measuring generic pediatric QOL (PedsQL), depression and anxiety (RCADS-25), and hearing-related QOL for adults (HHIA) to determine construct and discriminant validity. Participants completed the HEAR-QL 2 weeks later for test-retest reliability. We used exploratory principal components analysis to determine the HEAR-QL factor structure and measured reliability. Sensitivity and specificity of the HEAR-QL, PedsQL, HHIA, and RCADS-25 were assessed. We compared scores on all surveys between those with normal hearing, unilateral, and bilateral HL. RESULTS: A total of 233 adolescents (13-18 years old) participated: 179 with HL, 54 without HL. The original 45-item HEAR-QL was shortened to 28 items after determining factor structure. The resulting HEAR-QL-28 demonstrated excellent reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.95) and construct validity (HHIA: r = .845, PedsQL: r = .587; RCADS-25: r = .433). The HEAR-QL-28 displayed excellent discriminant validity, with higher area under the curve (0.932) than the PedsQL (0.597) or RCADS-25 (0.529). Teens with bilateral HL using hearing devices reported worse QOL on the HEAR-QL and HHIA than peers with HL not using devices. CONCLUSIONS: The HEAR-QL is a sensitive, reliable, and valid measure of hearing-related QOL for adolescents. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.
Authors: C D Mulrow; C Aguilar; J E Endicott; M R Tuley; R Velez; W S Charlip; M C Rhodes; J A Hill; L A DeNino Journal: Ann Intern Med Date: 1990-08-01 Impact factor: 25.391
Authors: P E Mohr; J J Feldman; J L Dunbar; A McConkey-Robbins; J K Niparko; R K Rittenhouse; M W Skinner Journal: Int J Technol Assess Health Care Date: 2000 Impact factor: 2.188
Authors: Susan D Emmett; Samantha Kleindienst Robler; Nae-Yuh Wang; Alain Labrique; Joseph J Gallo; Philip Hofstetter Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2019-01-15 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Susan D Emmett; Samantha Kleindienst Robler; Joseph J Gallo; Nae-Yuh Wang; Alain Labrique; Philip Hofstetter Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2019-01-22 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Faisal Zawawi; Adam J Shapiro; Sharon Dell; Nikolaus E Wolter; Cinzia L Marchica; Michael R Knowles; Maimoona A Zariwala; Margaret W Leigh; Mariana Smith; Pilar Gajardo; Sam J Daniel Journal: Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg Date: 2021-06-22 Impact factor: 5.591