Browsing by Author "Boggs, Dorothy"

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    Exploring the Use of Washington Group Questions to Identify People with Clinical Impairments Who Need Services including Assistive Products: Results from Five Population-Based Surveys
    (2022) Boggs, Dorothy; Kuper, Hannah; Mactaggart, Islay; Bright, Tess; Murthy, Gvs; Hydara, Abba; McCormick, Ian; Tamblay, Natalia; Alvarez, Matias L.; Atijosan-Ayodele, Oluwarantimi; Yonso, Hisem; Foster, Allen; Polack, Sarah
    This study analyses the use of the self-reported Washington Group (WG) question sets as a first stage screening to identify people with clinical impairments, service and assistive product (AP) referral needs using different cut-off levels in four functional domains (vision, hearing, mobility and cognition). Secondary data analysis was undertaken using population-based survey data from five countries, including one national survey (The Gambia) and four regional/district surveys (Cameroon, Chile, India and Turkey). In total 19,951 participants were sampled (range 538-9188 in individual studies). The WG question sets on functioning were completed for all participants alongside clinical impairment assessments/questionnaires. Using the WG "some/worse difficulty" cut-off identified people with mild/worse impairments with variable sensitivity (44-79%) and specificity (73-92%) in three of the domains. At least 64% and 60% of people with mild/worse impairments who required referral for surgical/medical and rehabilitation/AP services, respectively, self-reported "some/worse difficulty", and much fewer reported "a lot/worse difficulty." For moderate/worse impairment, both screening cut-offs improved identification of service/AP need, but a smaller proportion of people with need were identified. In conclusion, WG questions could be used as a first-stage screening option to identify people with impairment and referral needs, but only with moderate sensitivity and specificity.
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    Prevalence of Cognitive Impairment and Its Association With Hearing Loss Among Adults Over 50 Years of Age: Results From a Population-Based Survey in Santiago, Chile
    (2023) Tamblay, Natalia; Boggs, Dorothy; Huidobro, Barbara; Tapia-Mora, Daniel; Anabalon, Katherine; Delgado, Carolina; Polack, Sarah; Bright, Tess; Torrente, Mariela C.
    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of cognitive impairment and explore its association with hearing loss and other socio-demographic and clinical risk factors, using an objective measurement of hear-ing levels, in adults over 50 years of age.Method: A population-based survey was completed in Santiago, Chile between December 2019 and March 2020. Participants were screened for cognitive impairment using the Short Chilean Mini-Mental State Examination and hearing levels were assessed with tonal audiometry (hearTest). Data on demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical characteristics were collected.Results: A total of 538 persons completed the assessment. The prevalence of cognitive impairment in the 50+ population was 9.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] [5.8, 14.7]). Cognitive impairment was significantly higher in individuals with any level of hearing loss (odds ratio [OR] = 2.19, 95% CI [1.00, 4.80], adjusted for age, sex, education, socioeconomic position [SEP], and head trauma). Sub-jects with hearing loss and who reported any use of hearing aids (16% of the sample) had a lower risk of cognitive impairment (OR of nonusers 3.64, 95% CI [1.00, 13.28], adjusted for age, sex, education, SEP, and head trauma).Conclusion: Strategies for addressing cognitive impairment should further explore the integration of early diagnosis of hearing loss and the regular use of hearing aids.