The effect of wearing face mask on speech intelligibility in listeners with sensorineural hearing loss and normal hearing sensitivity.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of wearing a face mask on word recognition in hearing-impaired listeners. DESIGN: Word recognition scores were obtained in quiet and in different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs 0, +5, and +10 dB) using two listening conditions (with N95 mask and with no-mask). STUDY SAMPLE: Participants were forty-six listeners with normal hearing sensitivity and thirty-nine listeners with mild to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss. RESULTS: Results showed that wearing a face mask affected word recognition and that this effect was greater for listeners with hearing impairment than that observed for listeners with normal hearing sensitivity. The extent of this effect was also dependent on the SNR conditions such that the effect of wearing a face mask was worse in adverse listening conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study demonstrated that face mask can disrupt speech intelligibility possibly by degrading some acoustical features which may pose substantial difficulties for those with hearing impairment.

Establishing the reliability and the validity of the Arabic translated versions of the Effort Assessment Scale and the Fatigue Assessment Scale.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to establish the reliability and the validity of Arabic translated versions of the Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS) and the Effort Assessment Scale (EAS). DESIGN: The FAS and the EAS were translated from the original English following a recommended six-step approach for translating hearing-related questionnaires for different languages. The reliability of the scales was investigated using Cronbach's alpha, item-total correlation, and inter-item correlation. Construct validity was investigated using factor analysis and the hypothesis testing method. STUDY SAMPLE: The translated scales were completed by 146 participants from Jordan and Saudi Arabia (age range 19-86 years old, 39% male). Participants' hearing level ranged from normal to profound. RESULTS: Item 3 in the translated FAS was removed to improve the scale's construct validity. The translated version of the EAS was found to be as reliable and valid as the original EAS. CONCLUSIONS: The availability of standardised versions of the FAS and the EAS provides a quick and easy method for improving hearing rehabilitation in Arabic-speaking countries where audiology services can often be costly and not necessarily accessible to all individuals.