Health education interventions for individuals with hearing impairment: A systematic review

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to systematically review health education interventions targeting individuals with hearing impairment.

Methods: A total of 18 studies were selected based on search results from five databases, and quality appraisal was conducted using an appropriate tool based on the study design. The extracted results were described using qualitative analysis.

Results: Among the selected studies, most interventions focused on specific cancers, and video materials were the most common delivery method. Various strategies were applied depending on the type of materials provided, in addition to sign language interpretation and the involvement of hearing-impaired related personnel. The interventions primarily resulted in a significant increase in knowledge.

Conclusion: This study suggests several recommendations, including expanding the scope of interventions to cover various chronic diseases, actively utilizing the features of video materials, considering health literacy, using peer support groups, and measuring behavior-related factors alongside knowledge levels.

Practice implications: This study makes a significant contribution to understanding the unique characteristics of the population with hearing impairment. Furthermore, it has the potential to facilitate the development of high-quality health education interventions for individuals with hearing impairment by providing insights into future research directions based on existing health education interventions.

Keywords: Deafness; Education; Health; Hearing impaired; Hearing loss; Interventions; Systematic review.