Abstract:
Background: - Hearing loss in children is a critical public health concern with significant implications for language acquisition, cognitive development, and social integration. Parents’ knowledge has been found to play a crucial role in determining the success of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening, and parents with low levels of knowledge tend to have fewer positive attitudes toward such programs.
Objectives: - Assessment of Knowledge and attitude on early detection, intervention and risk factors of childhood hearing loss and associated cultural beliefs among mothers attending immunization clinics in selected health centers in Addis Ababa.
Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted over one and a half months, involving 505 mothers. A pretest (5% of the population) ensured clarity of the questionnaire. Proportional sampling was used across study sites. Data were checked for completeness, entered into EpiData, and analyzed using STATA version 14. Multiple logistic regression identified associated factors, with a 95% confidence interval and significance set at p < 0.05.
Results: Among 505 participants (mean age 29.56 ± 5.01 years), the majority were aged 20–29 (55%), Orthodox (72%), married (99.6%), and housewives (66%). Most (95%) had incomes above 3,000 ETB, and 40.6% had secondary education. Only 16% knew about childhood hearing loss, though 98.2% attended ANC. Just 2.4% (95% CI: 1.3–4.1%) showed good knowledge of early detection and risk factors. While 74% knew hearing loss could be congenital and 94% identified otitis media, only 2.8% recognized high fever. Over half (52.7%) attributed it to evil spirits. Overall, 69.7% (95% CI: 65.5–73.5%) had an overall favorable attitude, with most supporting newborn screening (71%) and hearing aid use (88%). Younger age and higher education correlated with favorable attitudes in multivariable analysis.
Conclusion and Recommendation: This study revealed alarmingly low knowledge (2.4%) among mothers in Addis Ababa regarding early detection and risk factors of childhood hearing loss, marked by limited awareness of medical causes and prevalent supernatural beliefs (52.7%). Despite this, an overall positive attitude was common (69.7%), with strong support for newborn screening (71.1%), indicating program acceptance potential. Younger age and higher education were linked to more favorable attitudes. Recommendations include integrating hearing health education into antenatal care, establishing newborn screening programs, training healthcare providers, launching culturally sensitive awareness campaigns, and incorporating hearing screening into national child health policies.
Key Words: Childhood hearing loss, Knowledge, Attitude, Early detection, Risk factors, Newborn hearing screening