Deaf adults at higher risk for severe illness: COVID-19 information preference and perceived health consequences.

This study explores deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) individuals’ preferred sources of information for COVID-19 and their perceptions of developing severe illness from COVID-19 given underlying medical conditions. A national online bilingual American Sign Language/English survey was conducted from April 17 to May 1, 2020. Weighted sample of 474 DHH adults living in the United States. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine independent associations of sociodemographic variables and health indicators with perceived COVID-19 health consequences. About 44% of the medical condition sample used the Internet (English-based text) first for COVID-19 information, followed by TV (24%). Only 1% selected healthcare provider as the go-to source; the remainder got information from family or friends. Perceived health consequences increased with age (adjusted OR = 1.04; CI 95% = 1.02, 1.06). At-risk respondents who self-identified as persons of color were nearly three times more likely to believe that their health will be severely affected by COVID-19 compared to respondents who self-identified as white (adjusted OR = 2.94; CI 95% = 1.20, 7.18). Perception of COVID-19 health consequences vary among DHH adults at higher risk for severe illness. Information delivery methods must be flexible and comprehensive to meet the diverse community’s needs, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

本研究探讨了聋人和听力障碍（DHH）个体获取新冠病毒（COVID - 19）信息的首选来源，以及他们在考虑自身潜在疾病状况下对感染新冠病毒后发展为重症的看法。 2020年4月17日至5月1日进行了一项全国性的美国手语/英语双语在线调查。对生活在美国的474名成年聋人和听力障碍者进行了加权抽样。进行了多元逻辑回归分析，以检验社会人口统计学变量和健康指标与感知到的新冠病毒健康后果之间的独立关联。 在有疾病状况的样本中，约44%的人首先使用互联网（基于英语的文本）获取新冠病毒信息，其次是电视（24%）。只有1%的人选择医疗服务提供者作为首选信息来源；其余人从家人或朋友处获取信息。感知到的健康后果随年龄增长而增加（调整后的优势比 = 1.04；95%置信区间 = 1.02，1.06）。自我认定为有色人种的高危受访者认为自己的健康会受到新冠病毒严重影响的可能性，几乎是自我认定为白人的受访者的三倍（调整后的优势比 = 2.94；95%置信区间 = 1.20，7.18）。 在重症风险较高的成年聋人和听力障碍者中，对新冠病毒健康后果的看法存在差异。 信息传递方法必须灵活且全面，以满足不同群体的需求，尤其是在新冠疫情期间。