BYARUHANGA, K. ISMAEL
(2022).
Audiology and community-based rehabilitation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: development of the first hearing screening tools for infants and children.
PhD thesis, Universität zu Köln.
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PDF (PhD Thesis)
PhD Dissertation ISMAEL K. BYARUHANGA.pdf - Accepted Version Bereitstellung unter der CC-Lizenz: Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (5MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Abstract This study is aimed at developing the first hearing test tool, adapted to national languages, for the early detection of children at risk of hearing loss in the DRC. Specific objectives included adapting and evaluating the effectiveness of the LittlEARS Auditory Questionnaire (LEAQ) as a screening tool for hearing loss in children aged 0–24 months in the DRC; constructing and validating the Kiswahili versions of the Adaptive Auditory Speech Test (AAST) for children aged 3–4 years and older; and determining the role of the LEAQ and the AAST as hearing screening tools in the community-based rehabilitation (CBR) programme. v Methods A cross-sectional design was used to select a total of 1.501 participants for the study. The sample included children, adolescents and adults including parents. For validation of the LEAQ, norm data were collected from (N=723) babies for the Lingala version and (N=648) babies for the Kiswahili version for children (0–24 months). In order to investigate the effectiveness of the LEAQ as a screening tool for children aged between 25–36 months, norm data was collected from (N=114) babies for the Lingala version and (N=82) babies for the Kiswahili version. In order to determine the Kiswahili version, AAST norm data were collected from N=130 (male: n=62, female: n=68). Results The results for the regression curve generated with age as an independent variable and total scores as dependent variables for the LEAQ showed the Kiswahili version as being very similar, r=0.81 (p=< 0.001) to the original German version r =0.91, and the Lingala version as being a little different but also very similar to the German version, r= 0.77 (p=< 0.001), whereby a value of 0.7 or higher shows a high correlation .These results legitimize the use of the LEAQ to screen for hearing loss in the DRC in infants and children from 1-24 months and vi above. The constructed version of the version of the Kiswahili Adaptive Auditory Speech Test (AAST) was used to find out the Speech Reception Threshold (SRT) in quiet and in noise conditions with the aim to determine the norm values in children aged 3-4 years and older. Conclusion The adapted Lingala and Kiswahili version of the LEAQ can be used for the screening and diagnosis of hearing loss in children under and over 3 years in the DRC. The study confirms that, the Kiswahili version of the AAST has an approximate difference of 10.2 dB observed between the year 4 old and 10 years old children in quiet, with a significant improve as the age increase. In addition, the LEAQ and the AAST can be used as screening tools in infants, but it may also be important to point out that, despite the UNHS being the gold standard , the procedures for these other 2 tests will represent an approximation if the UNHS cannot yet be introduced in the DRC due to cost and organizational reasons. This can have a positive implication by generating concrete data that will have considerable impact in influencing the legislation and integration of the LEAQ as a screening tool in the primary health care package
| Item Type: | Thesis (PhD thesis) | ||||||||
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| URN: | urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-631377 | ||||||||
| Date: | 2022 | ||||||||
| Language: | English | ||||||||
| Faculty: | Faculty of Human Sciences | ||||||||
| Divisions: | CERES - Cologne Center for Ethics, Rights, Economics, and Social Sciences of Health | ||||||||
| Subjects: | Education | ||||||||
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| Date of oral exam: | 14 July 2022 | ||||||||
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| Refereed: | Yes | ||||||||
| URI: | http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/63137 |
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