Influence of Maternal Socioeconomic and Demographic Aspects in the Results of Newborn Hearing Screening

Introduction: The knowledge of socioeconomic and demographic factors of the population treated in neonatal hearing screening programs can help identify the cause of hearing loss and evasion.

Objective: To identify the influence of maternal socioeconomic and demographic factors on the results of a newborn hearing screening program.

Methods: Cross-sectional study including 562 mothers and their newborns who underwent hearing screening in Ary Pinheiro Base Hospital in Porto Velho, Rondônia. The variables were collected by interview (maternal age, origin, marital status, education, family income) and analyzed the records (result pass/fail screening, diagnosis, and their outcome).

Results: Most mothers have age between 17 and 35 years, family income between one and three minimum wages are living in the capital, living in a consensual union with their partners, attended high school or did not complete high school. For screened newborns: 91.1% passed and 8.9% failed in the hearing screening and 1.1% had hearing loss. The dropout was 12.5% in the retest and 57.7% in the diagnosis and it was statistically significant associated with maternal educational level of incomplete primary education. No significant associations of maternal socioeconomic and demographic factors with the other results.

Conclusion: Maternal socioeconomic and demographic factors have no influence on the results of the hearing screening and audiological diagnosis; however, the level of the maternal education might play role in the newborn follow-up in a hearing screening program.

Keywords: Newborn, neonatal screening, hearing loss, socioeconomic factors.