The PEN Fa’aSamoa Initiative: An Integrated Platform for Hearing and Vision Screening in Samoa

Kaspar, Annette; Swanepoel, De Wet; Pifeleti, Sione

doi:10.1177/2333794x231203504

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 19 publications

(22 reference statements)

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“…Preparations are also underway to formulate a national health policy for schoolbased hearing and vision screening, which should further contribute to the successful implementation of IE in Samoa and achieving SDG4 Quality Education. 30…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge and attitudes of school principals towards childhood hearing loss and hearing services: A cross-sectional survey to support the implementation of inclusive education in Samoa

Kaspar,

Afutiti-Pemila,

Driscoll

et al. 2023

SAGE Open Medicine

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Objectives: To assess the knowledge and attitudes among school principals towards childhood hearing loss and hearing services to support the implementation of inclusive education in Samoa. Educators are uniquely positioned to advocate for inclusive education in their classrooms, and may be among the first professionals to suspect hearing loss in their young students. Given the well-known impacts of childhood hearing loss on learning and development, educators therefore play a vital role in referring students for an ear and hearing health assessment. Methods: A cross-sectional convenience sampling design and bilingual questionnaire were used (English/Samoan). School principals attending the annual conference for educators of Samoa over 4 days in June 2022 were invited to anonymously complete a 23-item questionnaire on childhood hearing loss and hearing services. Participants were required to respond to each statement with either ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘unsure’. The questionnaire investigated general knowledge of healthy hearing and hearing loss, knowledge of causes and risk factors of hearing loss, knowledge of identification and intervention for hearing loss and the attitudes towards students with hearing loss. Results: 95.4% of the 109 participants agreed that healthy hearing is important, and 97.2% felt that childhood hearing loss is an important problem in Samoa. Participants agreed that hearing loss adversely impacts the interaction with peers (95.4%), listening in the classroom (94.5%), speech and language development (93.6%), classroom behaviour (88.1%) and reading skills (85.3%). 97.2% of participants felt that students with hearing loss should have the same opportunities as their normal-hearing counterparts, and 92.7% would include students with hearing loss in their classroom. 94.5% were keen to learn more about childhood hearing loss. There were no significant differences in response proportions between variable subgroups. Conclusion: Overall, the results displayed high levels of knowledge and very positive attitudes among school principals in Samoa towards their students with hearing loss.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge and attitudes of school principals towards childhood hearing loss and hearing services: A cross-sectional survey to support the implementation of inclusive education in Samoa

Kaspar,

Afutiti-Pemila,

Driscoll

et al. 2023

SAGE Open Medicine

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Prevalence and Pattern of Ear Disease Among Primary School Students in Samoa: Preliminary Results from ENT Clinic Outreach to Urban, Rural and Remote Settings

Kaspar,

Pifeleti,

Driscoll

et al. 2024

Ear Nose Throat J

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Objectives: To assess the prevalence and pattern of ear disease among students attending primary school in urban, rural, and remote regions of Samoa in order to develop an evidence-based national school ear and hearing health program. Methods: Retrospective clinical data review of all primary school students seen by the Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic of Samoa during school-based outreach visits from March 2022 to April 2024. A purposefully designed spreadsheet was created to extract the following information from the clinical records: school location (urban, rural, remote), gender (male, female), age (years), age category (0-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15+ years), right ear diagnosis, left ear diagnosis. Data were entered into the SPSS statistical software package for descriptive statistical analysis and association tests of significance. Results: A total of 1491 primary school students were seen for ear health examinations (51.1% male, 48.9% female), with a mean age of 9.1 years (SD = 2.3). Five primary schools were included, representing urban (n = 865), rural (n = 258), and remote (n = 368) settings. Overall, 682 (45.7%) students had normal ear examination results for both ears, 237 (15.9%) had an ear pathology in 1 ear only, and 568 (38.1%) had ear pathology in both ears. Bilateral ear pathology was significantly higher among students who were in the 5 to 9 age group ( P < .00001), female ( P = .035), and from rural settings ( P = .0001). The most common pathology was impacted cerumen (36.8%), followed by otitis media with effusion (7.5%). Overall prevalence of chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) was 2.6% (n = 39 students). Following the school visits, no further intervention was required for 1180 students (79%), mostly due to successful cerumen and foreign body removals for 468 students (31.4%). Conclusion: Impacted cerumen is a significant issue among Samoan school-aged students, and future school-based ear health programs should include staff members trained in cerumen removal. CSOM prevalence suggests an avoidable burden of disease that must be addressed.

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Awareness and Perceptions of University Nursing Students in Samoa Towards Childhood Hearing Impairment and Hearing Healthcare: A Cross-Sectional Study

Kaspar,

Samuelu-Matthes,

Driscoll

et al. 2023

SAGE Open Nursing

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Introduction Pacific Islands have among the highest prevalence of pediatric hearing impairment in the world. Given the limited availability of ear and hearing specialists in the Pacific region, the broader health professional community plays a vital role in the prevention of avoidable pediatric hearing impairment. Nurses emerge as one of the ideal candidates for task-sharing in the administration of ear and hearing care at the public and primary healthcare levels. Objectives The aim of this study is to evaluate the awareness and perceptions of university nursing students in Samoa to pediatric hearing impairment and hearing healthcare. Methods This study employed a cross-sectional study design. A 10-item questionnaire was administered to university nursing students in Samoa ( N = 100). The statements aimed to evaluate perceptions towards childhood hearing impairment, as well as awareness of causal factors of permanent childhood hearing loss and available hearing healthcare. Participants were required to provide a response based on the five-point Likert scale “Strongly Agree,” “Agree,” “Neutral/Don’t know,” “Disagree,” and “Strongly Disagree.” Results Overall, 79% of participants responded “Disagree/Strongly Disagree” to the item “Hearing loss is not that important because it does not kill.” Overall, 52% of respondents were aware of hearing impairment as a public health concern in Samoa. Early identification and intervention services for newborns with hearing impairment are nonexistent in Samoa, and awareness was low for the importance of early detection (62%) and amplification suitability for babies (49%). Overall, awareness was also low for causal factors of permanent sensorineural hearing loss. Conclusions A borderline neutral/positive perception was found among our future nursing professionals to engage with pediatric hearing impairment in Samoa. Awareness regarding the causes of permanent childhood hearing impairment, as well as early identification and intervention services, could be integrated in the university curriculum.

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The PEN Fa’aSamoa Initiative: An Integrated Platform for Hearing and Vision Screening in Samoa

Cited by 3 publications

References 19 publications

Knowledge and attitudes of school principals towards childhood hearing loss and hearing services: A cross-sectional survey to support the implementation of inclusive education in Samoa

Knowledge and attitudes of school principals towards childhood hearing loss and hearing services: A cross-sectional survey to support the implementation of inclusive education in Samoa

Prevalence and Pattern of Ear Disease Among Primary School Students in Samoa: Preliminary Results from ENT Clinic Outreach to Urban, Rural and Remote Settings

Awareness and Perceptions of University Nursing Students in Samoa Towards Childhood Hearing Impairment and Hearing Healthcare: A Cross-Sectional Study

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