ABSTRACT
Social and environmental attitudes towards hearing loss and hearing aids may also be an important contributing factor for help-seeking, uptake of rehabilitation, and self-management of hearing loss. During the process of acting regarding health conditions, people may consume information from various sources (e.g., news media, social media, health professionals, friends, and family). Hence, the knowledge, opinion, and perception of various stakeholders, including the public perception of hearing loss and hearing aids, proves important. These stakeholders may to some degree shape the opinion of people with hearing loss, and will have bearing towards their attitude in managing the condition. Therefore, from the public health viewpoint, health communication plays an important role in shaping health behavior. However, it has been suggested that there is little research about environmental factors (i.e., including physical, social, and attitudinal environment) related to hearing loss. This is particularly true in relation to influence of media on health behavior. This chapter presents text pattern analysis of how hearing loss and hearing aid(s) are represented in the United States newspaper media. The study results showed that the US newspaper media focuses on a range of issues when considering hearing loss and hearing aids and the pattern or trends change over time.
