TY - JOUR

T1 - Lower thriving among females with hearing impairment than males - a cross-sectional study of 185 primary and secondary students in Greenland

AU - Friis Skovsen, Cecilie

AU - Jensen, Jakob Schmidt

AU - Jensen, Ramon Gordon

AU - Schnohr, Christina

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - The prevalence of ear infections and hearing i mpairment among Greenlandic children is amajor public health problem, and studies investigating the association between hearing impairment and thriving among Greenlandic children are scarce. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hearing impairment and thriving in asample of school-children in Sisimiut, Greenland. This cross-sectional study included children from 5th to 10th grade from two schools in Sisimiut and two schools located in nearby settlements. Participants filled out aquestionnaire and underwent ear examination and audiometry. Binary logistic regression examined the associations of hearing impairment and thriving variables defined as self-rated health, headache and school satisfaction. 179 children participated from schools in Sisimiut, and 6 children were from schools in settlements. The prevalence of hearing impairment was 10% among school-children in Sisimiut. There was atendency among girls with hearing impairment to have higher odds ratios for low self-rated health, often headache and low school-satisfaction. This study indicates that girls with hearing impairment are more susceptible to low thriving compared to girls with normal hearing. Interventions targeting the thriving of hearing impairment among children in Greenland should take gender differences into account.

AB - The prevalence of ear infections and hearing i mpairment among Greenlandic children is amajor public health problem, and studies investigating the association between hearing impairment and thriving among Greenlandic children are scarce. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hearing impairment and thriving in asample of school-children in Sisimiut, Greenland. This cross-sectional study included children from 5th to 10th grade from two schools in Sisimiut and two schools located in nearby settlements. Participants filled out aquestionnaire and underwent ear examination and audiometry. Binary logistic regression examined the associations of hearing impairment and thriving variables defined as self-rated health, headache and school satisfaction. 179 children participated from schools in Sisimiut, and 6 children were from schools in settlements. The prevalence of hearing impairment was 10% among school-children in Sisimiut. There was atendency among girls with hearing impairment to have higher odds ratios for low self-rated health, often headache and low school-satisfaction. This study indicates that girls with hearing impairment are more susceptible to low thriving compared to girls with normal hearing. Interventions targeting the thriving of hearing impairment among children in Greenland should take gender differences into account.

KW - “adolescence”

KW - “children”

KW - “Greenland”

KW - “Hearing impairment”

KW - “social factors“

KW - “thriving”

U2 - 10.1080/22423982.2021.1921995

DO - 10.1080/22423982.2021.1921995

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 33993855

AN - SCOPUS:85105977778

VL - 80

JO - International Journal of Circumpolar Health

JF - International Journal of Circumpolar Health

SN - 1239-9744

IS - 1

M1 - 1921995

ER -