A Survey of the Knowledge and Attitudes of First-Time Pregnant Women Regarding Infant Hearing Loss.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of first-time pregnant women regarding hearing loss in infants, and to identify the key factors that influence their perceptions. After validating and ensuring the reliability of a well-structured questionnaire consisting of 15 items, it was distributed to a total of 400 pregnant women who were experiencing their first pregnancies. Utilizing a cluster sampling method, participants were selected from both public hospitals and private gynecologist offices across diverse geographic regions in Tehran, Iran. Participants were asked to respond on a three-point scale (No, Not Sure, Yes). The results were analyzed using both descriptive and analytic statistics. The translated questionnaire exhibited suitable face validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency. Findings revealed the highest maternal knowledge for "newborns can be born with hearing loss "(77.5%) and the lowest knowledge score was observed for "delayed birth cry can lead to hearing loss" (23.8%). Regarding attitudes, 72.5% of mothers scored above the mean of 5.65 out of 6, indicating a preference for early diagnosis and intervention. Several factors, such as education level and the mother's city of residence, showed a significant correlation with certain knowledge and attitude-related questions. Notably, individuals receiving care at public hospitals showed greater knowledge compared to those visiting private clinics. Mothers play a crucial role in child health and need to have a thorough understanding of pediatric diseases in order to make informed decisions. One particular condition that mothers should be well-informed about is hearing loss, as it has a significant impact on language development. However, this study reveals that there are gaps in maternal knowledge when it comes to the specific causes of hearing loss.