Development of a hearing help-seeking questionnaire based on the theory of planned behavior

Abstract

Objective: Our objective was to develop and assess a questionnaire measuring the constructs of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) regarding older adults’ behaviours towards seeking a hearing test.

Design: Older adults who failed a hearing screening completed a newly developed Theory of Planned Behavior-Hearing Help Seeking (TPB-HHS) questionnaire. A principal components analysis (PCA) examined the factor structure of the questionnaire, and a reliability analysis determined the internal consistency of the factors. An examination of six-month follow-up data determined whether the questionnaire differentiated between individuals who did and did not seek out a hearing test by comparing their TPB-HHS scores.

Study Sample: Participants were 407 adults aged 50 to 89 recruited at community hearing screenings.

Results: PCA and reliability analyses resulted in a 4-factor, 18 item questionnaire. Three of four factors demonstrated acceptable internal consistency. The TPB-HHS explained 60.18% of the variance and factors were interpreted to be measuring the constructs of Intentions, Perceived Behavioral Control, Attitudes, and Subjective Norms. Individuals who sought a hearing test scored significantly higher on the Intentions, Perceived Behavioral Control, and Attitudes scales than those who did not.

Conclusions: The TPB-HHS provides insight into underlying psychological mechanisms that drive behaviours related to hearing help-seeking in older adults.

Keywords:

• Adult or general hearing screening
• ageing
• behavioral measures
• psycho-social/emotional

Acknowledgements

This article was previously presented at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting held in New Orleans, LA, on Friday, November 18, 2016, as a poster entitled: “Application of the theory of planned behavior for explaining hearing help-seeking behaviors of older adults”. The authors would like to thank Dr. Icek Ajzen for his consultation while developing the initial questionnaire, and Celia Escabi, Laura Westermann, Preyanca Oree and Charissa Hicks for their assistance in conducting this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01DC013761.