16th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
February 26-28, 2017 • Atlanta, GA

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  |  Childhood Access to Family Communication: Findings from the Rochester Health Survey with Adults Deaf Since Birth or Early Childhood

Childhood Access to Family Communication: Findings from the Rochester Health Survey with Adults Deaf Since Birth or Early Childhood

Objective: To examine with adults deaf since birth/early childhood the association of having a deaf parent with perceived access to childhood environmental family communication. Background: Health and wellbeing of people deaf since birth/early childhood are important outcomes of EHDI programs. Incidental learning opportunities are important for developing health knowledge. Environmental family communication is one opportunity for incidental learning during childhood. Barriers to environmental family communication during childhood could lead to gaps in health knowledge and associated risks for poor health outcomes across the lifespan. Methods: Deaf and hearing researchers and community members worked together to adapt the telephone-based CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for use with deaf adults. Survey items were presented on a touchscreen computer kiosk in sign language (video-recorded) and written English. The survey was fielded in Rochester NY during 2013-2014. Results: Participants (n=211) had a mean age of 44.7 (range 18-87). 57.3% were women, 87.1% were deaf since birth or before age 4 years, and 11% had at least one deaf parent. Most (81%) participants with at least one deaf parent reported understanding childhood environmental family communication “most of the time,” compared with 19% of participants without a deaf parent (p<.0001). Conclusions: Having a deaf parent is associated with greater perceived access to childhood environmental family communication. Research should further examine access to childhood environmental family communication, and the ways that a deaf parent enhances the communication access of a deaf child. Researchers should work together with families and other stakeholders to develop measures of environmental communication access and early childhood language experiences, and study their relationships with health literacy and adult health outcomes. Future research will inform interventions with families with deaf children, such as deaf mentor programs. Program evaluation measures should include health and wellbeing of the deaf person from childhood into adulthood.

  • Describe the association of access to childhood environmental family communication with having a deaf parent
  • Explain the importance of developing measures of environmental communication access and early childhood language experiences
  • Explain the importance of including measures of health and wellbeing to assess interventions with families with a deaf child

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Presenters/Authors

Steven Barnett (), University of Rochester, steven_barnett@urmc.rochester.edu;
Steven Barnett MD is a family physician researcher and is Director of the Rochester Prevention Research Center (RPRC): National Center for Deaf Health Research (NCDHR), a CDC-funded prevention research center. The mission of RPRC/NCDHR is to promote health and prevent disease with deaf sign language users and people with hearing loss, their families and communities, through community based participatory research.

ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial - No relevant financial relationship exist.

Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.


Wyatte Hall (), University of Rochester Medical Center, wyatte_hall@urmc.rochester.edu;
Wyatte C. Hall, Ph.D. is a Research Assistant Professor in the Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pediatrics, Public Health Sciences, and Neurology departments within the University of Rochester Medical Center. His primary research interest is the role of language as a social determinant of population health within the Deaf community.

ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial - Receives Salary for Employment from University of Rochester Medical Center.   Receives Salary for Employment from University of Rochester Medical Center.  

Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.


Lori DeWindt (), National Center for Deaf Health Research, lori_dewindt@urmc.rochester.edu;
Lori DeWindt, MA is a research coordinator with the Rochester Prevention Research Center: National Center for Deaf Health Research (NCDHR).

ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -

Nonfinancial -


Erika Sutter (), University of Rochester, erika_sutter@urmc.rochester.edu;
Erika Sutter MPH is Deputy Director and a research coordinator with the Rochester Prevention Research Center: National Center for Deaf Health Research (NCDHR).

ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial - No relevant financial relationship exist.

Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.


Scott Smith (), Texas Department of State Health Services, Scott.Smith@dshs.texas.gov;
Scott Smith is the Program Specialist for EHDI services at the Texas Department of State Health Services.

ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial - No relevant financial relationship exist.

Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.