Application of the health belief model: Development of the hearing beliefs questionnaire (HBQ) and its associations with hearing health behaviors

Abstract

Objective: To develop a hearing beliefs questionnaire (HBQ) that assesses hearing beliefs within the constructs of the health belief model, and to investigate whether HBQ scores are associated with hearing health behaviors. Design: A 60-item version of the questionnaire was developed and completed by 223 participants who also provided information about their hearing health behaviors (help seeking, hearing-aid acquisition, and hearing-aid use). Study sample: Individuals aged between 22 and 90 years recruited from a primary care waiting area at a Veterans hospital. Seventy-six percent were male, 80% were Veterans. Results: A 26-item version of the HBQ with six scales was derived using factor analysis and reliability analyses. The scales measured: perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, perceived self-efficacy, and cues to action. HBQ scores differed significantly between individuals with different hearing health behaviors. Logistic regression analyses resulted in robust models of hearing health behaviors that correctly classified between 59% and 100% of participant hearing health behaviors. Conclusions: The HBM appears to be an appropriate framework for examining hearing health behaviors, and the HBQ is a valuable tool for assessing hearing health beliefs and predicting hearing health behaviors.

Key Words::

• Rehabilitation of hearing impaired
• health behavior
• health care seeking behavior
• patient acceptance of health care
• patient compliance
• hearing aids

Acknowledgements

This material is based upon work supported by Unitron and by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Grant # C4844C. Aspects of these data were presented at the International Hearing Aid Research Conference (IHCON), Lake Tahoe, USA, August 8–12, 2012, at the Academy of Rehabilitative Audiology Institute, Providence, USA, September 9–11, 2012, and at the British Academy of Audiology, Manchester, UK, November 12–13, 2012.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.