Self-reported discrimination against adults with hearing loss in Brazilian health services: results of the National Health Survey

Abstract

This article aims to estimate the prevalence of self-reported discrimination against people with hearing loss in Brazilian health services and analyze associated factors. We conducted a cross-sectional population-based study using data from the 2013 National Health Survey. The final study sample comprised 1,464 individuals with self-reported hearing loss. Poisson regression was used to calculate crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) and respective 95% confidence inter-vals. The overall prevalence of discrimination was 15%. Prevalence was higher among black people and respondents who reported experiencing limitations in activities of daily living. Prevalence of discrimination in Brazilian health services was highest in black people with limitations in activities of daily living. The implementation of policies and actions to address this problem is recommended, including strategies during the education and training of health professionals.