The use of ecological momentary assessment to evaluate real-world aided outcomes with children

Figures & data

Table 1. Participant demographics.

Characteristic	N	%
Age (years) by group
7−12	17	59.6
13−17	12	41.4
Devices (Phonak Sky V90)
Power	15	51.7
Super Power	9	31.0
Ultra Power	5	17.2
4PTA (better ear)
Mild (26–55 dB)	8	27.6
Moderate (41–55 dB)	10	34.5
Moderately-severe (56–70 dB)	7	24.1
Severe (71–90 dB)	4	13.8

Figure 1. Mean real ear aided response values for an input level of 65 dB SPL, comparing P1 and P2.

Figure 2. Illustration of the speech loudness and speech understanding rating scales and corresponding graphics.

Table 2 The EMA Survey by Item Number, Description, Participant Facing Item, and Response Format

Item #	Description	Participant Facing Item	Response Format
1	Program prompt	This survey will ask you questions specific to the listening situation you are in. Please switch to program 1 (or 2) in your hearing aid now. The arrows at the bottom of the screen will help you scroll through all the questions.	N/A
2&6	Listening situation	We want to know more about the room or space you are in right now. What word best describes it?	Quiet Slightly noisy Very noisy
3&7	Speech loudness*	How loud do people’s voices sound right now?	Much too loud Too loud A bit loud Just right A bit soft Too soft Did not hear
4&8	Speech understanding*	How well do you understand speech right now?	Always Usually About half the time Not often Never
5	Program prompt	Please switch to program 2 (or 1) in your hearing aid now.	N/A
9	Program preference	Which hearing aid program did you prefer? Please check one.	Program 1 Program 2
10	Text-based rationale	Can you tell us more about why you preferred this program over the other right now? You can also leave a voice note to further document your answer.	N/A
11	General statement	Thank you very much for answering these questions. Please click on the checkmark to save your answers and exit the survey.	N/A

Note. *please refer to Figure 2, outlining the graphics used for the speech loudness and understanding scales

Figure 3. Proportion of listening situation ratings in P1 and P2. *indicates statistical significance, using a 95% criterion and n refers to the number of entries per hearing aid condition.

Figure 4. P1 versus P2 speech loudness ratings in each situation. *indicates statistical significance, using a 95% criterion and n refers to the number of entries per hearing aid condition.

Figure 5. P1 versus P2 speech understanding ratings in each situation. *indicates statistical significance, using a 95% criterion and n refers to the number of entries per hearing aid condition.

Figure 6. Program preference per situational noise level. *indicates statistical significance, using a 95% criterion and n refers to the number of entries per hearing aid condition.

Table 3. Text based comments relating to program preference.

Category (Subcategory)	Categories		Subcategories
	N (%)		N (%)
	P1	P2	P1	P2
Sound quality	61 (20.3)	13 (4.3)
Clarity			28 (33.3)	3 (3.6)
Softness			2 (2.4)	0 (0.0)
Spaciousness			8 (9.5)	0 (0.0)
Distance			3 (3.6)	1 (1.2)
Total Impression			24 (28.6)	10 (11.9)
Loudness	55 (18.3)	65 (21.6)
More			46 (38.3)	0 (0.0)
Less			3 (2.5)	65 (54.2)
Optimal			6 (5.0)	0 (0.0)
Background noise	6 (2.0)	45 (15.0)
More			4 (7.8)	0 (0)
Less			2 (3.9)	45 (88.2)
Intelligibility	35 (11.6)	14 (4.7)
Participation	18 (6.0)	5 (1.7)
Familiarity	33 (11.0)	4 (1.3)
Comfort	6 (2.0)	6 (2.0)

Comments from participants were coded according to descriptive categories and sub-categories. Percentage counts are based on the total number of entries from participants and include counts for multiple responses in one entry. Subcategory counts and percentages are based on the total count for the main category. Comments relating to having no preference were excluded.

Figure 7. Program preference by hearing loss group (according to 4PTA value). *indicates statistical significance, using a 95% criterion and n refers to the number of entries per hearing aid condition.

Figure 8. Variable categories projected to the first two dimensions. Categories of supplementary variables are depicted in a lighter grey font. The two clusters’ boundaries are superimposed on top of each other. HL denotes hearing loss and is displayed with a label of Mild, Moderate, Moderately-severe or Severe (according to 4PTA).