Table 3.
Participants characteristics of the pilot trial (n=30)
| Characteristics | Participants with HL (n=15) |
Communication Partners (n=15) |
|---|---|---|
| Age, years (S.D.) | 67.9 (8.1) | 62.9 (11.6) |
| [Range] | [57-82] | [30-75] |
| Sex (%) | ||
| Female | 5 (33%) | 13 (87%) |
| Education (%) | ||
| Some college | 6 (40%) | 4 (36%) |
| Annual income, US Dollar (%) | ||
| <$25,000 | 11 (73%) | 8 (53%) |
| Insurance (%) | ||
| Medicare/Medicaid | 8 (53.3%) | 9 (60.0%) |
| Other insurance | 7 (46.7%) | 6 (40.0%) |
| Period of residency in the US, years (S.D.) | 27.1 (9.7) | 27.1 (8.9) |
| [Range] | [9-40] | [9-40] |
| Age when first came to the US, years (S.D.) | 41.5 (12.2) | 36 (13.8) |
| [Range] | [22-64] | [3-61] |
| Language use at homea (%) | ||
| Only Korean | 13 (87%) | 12 (80%) |
| More Korean than English | 1 (7%) | 3 (20%) |
| Both equally | 1 (7%) | 0 (0%) |
| Assessment of HL using speech-frequency pure-tone audiometerb (%) | ||
| No hearing lossc | 1 (6.7%) | - |
| Mild | 7 (46.7%) | - |
| Moderate | 7 (46.7%) | - |
| Self-reported trouble hearingd | ||
| Good | 2 (13%) | - |
| A little trouble | 5 (33%) | - |
| Moderate | 4 (27%) | - |
| A lot of trouble | 4 (27%) | - |
| Ever received hearing exam (%) | 9 (60%) | - |
| Ever hearing aid user (%) | 3 (20%) | - |
| Current hearing aid user (%) | 0 (0%) | - |
| Relationship with participant with HL (%) | ||
| Spouse | - | 10 (67%) |
| Child/sibling | - | 3 (20%) |
| Parishioner | - | 2 (13%) |
HL=Hearing Loss
Participants were asked, “what language(s) do you usually speak at home? Only Korean, more Korean than English, both equally, more English than Korean, or only English?”
Audiometry-measured hearing status is defined by a speech-frequency pure tone average of hearing thresholds at 1, 2, and 4 kHz in the better-hearing ear (normal PTA <25dB, mild hearing loss 25-39dB, moderate or greater ≥ 40dB).
One older adult with unilateral severe hearing loss included in the study
Participants were asked, “Which statement best describes your hearing (without a hearing aid)? Would you say your hearing is excellent, good, that you have a little trouble, moderate trouble, a lot of trouble, or are you deaf?”