Browsing by Author "Silva Letelier, Catherine Paola"

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    Association Between Unaided Speech Perception in Noise and Hearing Aid Use Mediated by Perceived Benefit
    (2025) Marcotti, Anthony; Silva Letelier, Catherine Paola; Galaz-Mella, Javier; Ianiszewski, Alejandro; Vargas, Nicole B.; Fuentes López, Eduardo
    Background/Objectives: The conventional strategy for addressing age-related hearing loss is hearing aid (HA) use, yet many individuals underutilize their devices. Despite the positive effects of HA use, adherence remains low, highlighting the importance of studying associated variables. We hypothesize that better unaided speech perception in noise (SPiN) would be associated with greater perceived benefit from HAs, which, in turn, would be linked to increased HA use. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used, including 114 older adults (≥65 years) who were HA users. HA use and perceived benefit were assessed using questions 1 and 2 of the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HAs), while unaided SPiN performance was measured monaurally with a speech-in-noise test. In the mediation analysis, SPiN performance was the predictor, perceived benefit the mediator, and HA use the outcome. Direct and indirect effects were evaluated using generalized structural equation modeling. Results: No significant total effect was found for the right ear. For the left ear, there was a significant indirect effect of SPiN performance on HA use through perceived benefit (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.06–1.57, p = 0.019) but no direct effect (p = 0.563). In addition, a significant total effect of left ear SPiN performance on HA use was observed (p = 0.041). Conclusions: The findings suggest that unaided SPiN performance—particularly in the left ear—may be indirectly associated with HA use through its effect on perceived benefit. These results underscore the potential value of including SPiN assessments in the HA fitting process and counseling strategies for older adults.
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    Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of a Generic Acceptability Questionnaire to Spanish
    (2025) Rivera, Sebastián; Silva Letelier, Catherine Paola; Retamal Walter, Felipe; Fuentes López, Eduardo; Contreras, Jimena; Marcotti, Anthony; Alzate Pamplona, Fraidy Alonso
    To adapt and validate the generic TFA acceptability questionnaire to Spanish. Methods. In the initial phase of this two-phase observational study, a translation and adaptation of the original instrument was performed. The second phase con-sisted of applying this version to 194 older adults after a pilot hearing screening and a standard preventive medical examination. Construct validity was assessed by Exploratory Factor Analysis, and internal consistency with McDonald’s omega (ω). Results. Both procedures yielded the same two-factor solution. The first factor comprised items related to “affective attitude”, “perceived effectiveness”, “inter-vention coherence”, and “self-efficacy”; the second factor included items on “ethi-cality” and “opportunity costs”. The item ‘burden’ was removed due to its lack of significant factor loadings. The first factor accounted for 18.96% of the variance of the hearing screening and 26.28% of the preventive medical examination; the second accounted for 14.97% and 20.44%, respectively. Regarding reliability, the instrument demonstrated an ω = 0.61 for the hearing screening and ω = 0.73 for the preventive medical examination. Conclusion. The final instrument comprises six items evaluating specific acceptability constructs and one item addressing overall acceptability. It features a two-factor underlying structure, demonstrating high external reliability and acceptable internal consistency.
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    Effectiveness of active communication education to improve hearing aid usage among Chilean older adults: a randomised clinical trial
    (2025) Marcotti, Anthony; Rivera, Sebastián; Silva Letelier, Catherine Paola; Martinez-Amezcua, Pablo; Fuentes López, Eduardo
    Objective: To assess the effectiveness of the Active Communication Education (ACE) program in improving usage, perceived benefit, and success with hearing aids (HAs).Design: A multicentre, double-blind, randomised parallel design clinical trial with masked outcome assessments was conducted at primary healthcare centres. Participants were randomised into either an intervention group (ACE) or a control group (social intervention). The primary outcome was HAs usage (question 1 of IOI-HA) and secondary outcomes were perceived benefit (question 2 of IOI-HA) and success with HAs (usage for at least 1 hour/day as per question 1 of IOI-HA and at least moderate perceived benefit as per question 2 of IOI-HA). Data collection occurred before, right after, and at 6 and 12 months following the intervention.Study sample: 114 older adults who use HAs.Results: The intervention group significantly increased HAs usage compared to baseline right after the intervention, as well as at 6- and 12-month follow-ups, in comparison to the control group. Secondary outcomes also showed improvements at all follow-up measurements, although these were less consistent.Conclusions: The ACE program is an effective strategy for enhancing HAs usage among older adults, with improvements that are sustainable over time.