Abstract:
Introduction: Hearing loss is a prevalent condition that has consequences for children’s development. As a result, screening programs for hearing loss are of increasing importance. One screening strategy involves the use of questionnaires for people with hearing loss. Aim: Transcultural adaptation to Spanish of the hearing screening in struments ABEL and the TEAP. Material and method: A cross-sectional questionnaire validation study in fourth grade school children was conducted. Classical test theory, including criterion validity, test-retest reliability and internal consistency was used. Results: A total of 100 school children in San Bernardo were evaluated. 52% of the sample were girls. The mean (SD) age was 9.75 (± 0.78) years. There were three cases of bilateral hearing loss and two cases of unilateral hearing loss. The internal consistency of the test was 0.73 for ABEL. The internal consistency was 0.82 for TEAP. The test-retest reliability was 0.86 for ABEL and for TEAP was 0.86. There was no difference between the scores of ABEL or TEAP between the children with hearing loss and those without hearing loss. Conclusions: It would be helpful to use questionnaires to screen for hearing loss in school. These results support a formal screening program based on questionnaires of hearing loss.
