Table 3.
Categories and their frequency of occurrence among different countries
| No | Categories | % responses
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All countries | India | Iran | Portugal | United Kingdom | ||
| 1 | Acceptance of hearing loss | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.41 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| 2 | Activity limitations | 0.76 | – | 1.85 | 0.6 | 0.62 |
| 3 | Aging | 4.74 | – | 9.67 | 4.15 | 5.35 |
| 4 | Alternative modes of communication | 0.25 | 0.2 | 0.82 | – | – |
| 5 | Appearance and design | 9.73 | 10 | 4.22 | 9 | 15.8 |
| 6 | Assessment and management | 7.11 | 11.68 | 4.12 | 8.3 | 3.9 |
| 7 | Assistive listening device | 1 | – | 4.12 | – | – |
| 8 | Attitude of the individual | 1.7 | 1.98 | 1 | 2 | 1.85 |
| 9 | Beneficial | 3.23 | 2.97 | – | 3 | 7 |
| 10 | Body structure | 2.07 | – | 4.53 | 2.57 | 1.23 |
| 11 | Causes of hearing loss | 1 | 0.2 | 1.85 | 1.38 | 0.4 |
| 12 | Communication difficulties | 0.71 | – | 1 | 1.2 | 0.6 |
| 13 | Coping strategies | 0.15 | – | 0.2 | – | 0.4 |
| 14 | Cost | 6.51 | 6.93 | 5.76 | 7.9 | 5.35 |
| 15 | Dependency | 0.71 | 0.2 | 2 | 0.4 | – |
| 16 | Disability | 6.2 | 0.2 | 14.8 | 6.72 | 3.3 |
| 17 | Disturbance and dissatisfaction | 2.57 | 3.37 | 2.26 | 2.17 | 2.5 |
| 18 | Ease or difficulty in using | 5.7 | 10 | 0.2 | 6.1 | 6.4 |
| 19 | Education, employment, and career issues | 0.2 | – | 0.2 | 0.6 | – |
| 20 | Empower and compensation | 2.57 | 1 | 2 | 4.55 | 2.7 |
| 21 | Enhancing sound | 1.21 | 0.4 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| 22 | Friends and family members | 0.81 | – | 1.44 | 0.8 | 1 |
| 23 | Hearing instruments | 11.45 | 19.41 | 2 | 10.3 | 13.8 |
| 24 | Improved hearing and communication | 8.22 | 15.25 | 3.1 | 8 | 7 |
| 25 | Improved life condition | 4.44 | 4.95 | 1.44 | 6.3 | 4.94 |
| 26 | Isolation | 0.15 | – | 0.4 | – | 0.21 |
| 27 | Need for support | 1.41 | 0.2 | 1.85 | 2.57 | 1 |
| 28 | Negative mental state | 2 | 0.2 | 3.9 | 2.77 | 1 |
| 29 | Not well understood | 1.82 | 4.36 | – | 2.57 | 0.2 |
| 30 | Other listening devices | 0.66 | 0.4 | 1.43 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| 31 | Others’ attitudes | 2.57 | 3.37 | 2.26 | 1.4 | 3.3 |
| 32 | Positive mental state | 1.21 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0.8 |
| 33 | Prosthesis | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1 | – | 0.4 |
| 34 | Satisfaction | 0.61 | 0.2 | 1.85 | 0.4 | – |
| 35 | Sound and acoustics of the environment | 1.92 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 1 | 4.12 |
| 36 | Stress and exhaustion | 0.15 | – | 0.6 | – | – |
| 37 | Symptoms of hearing loss | 0.30 | 0.4 | 0.6 | – | – |
| 38 | Technology | 2.12 | 0.2 | 4.95 | 0.8 | 2.67 |
| 39 | Voice and speech functions | 1.06 | 0.4 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 |