Generating an Evidence Base for Information, Education and Communication Needs of the Community Regarding Deafness: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND: India is a significant contributor to the world’s total burden of deafness. Out of all causes, almost 50% of the causes of decreased hearing are preventable. With the launch of the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness, the need for an effective information, education and communication (IEC) campaign was felt. There is negligible information available about the status of awareness levels of the community about the various aspects of hearing loss. We carried out this research with the objective of getting to know the existing awareness related to hearing loss in the community to generate an evidence base for formulating various messages to be incorporated in IEC materials for dissemination in the community. We also asked the participants about their suggestions for the various information resources so that an IEC campaign could be designed accordingly. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We carried out 10 focus group discussions among various groups of population and analyzed the discussion. RESULTS: A descriptive analysis of the observations regarding the awareness about deafness in the community and prevalent myths and suggested information resources is presented. CONCLUSION: We highlight the lacunae in the existing awareness of various causes of deafness and the preventive measures that could be taken to prevent hearing loss. The evidence generated was used to formulate relevant messages for the various target groups, which were then incorporated in development of the IEC materials for the dissemination in the community.