Awareness of middle ear pathologies in South Africa: Towards a primordial preventive audiology.

Background:  Public awareness of auditory pathologies, has been explored in the literature. However, there is limited evidence regarding public awareness of middle ear pathologies and their risk factors in South African communities.

Objectives:  The aim of this study was to describe public awareness regarding middle ear pathologies and their associated risk factors in the community of Giyani, Limpopo province, South Africa.

Method:  A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was conducted among 94 adults aged 18 years and older living in Giyani, Limpopo province. A questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics was used to summarise the data, while a Chi-squared test was used to determine if there is any association between awareness and independent variables with categorised outcomes.

Results:  Adults aged between 18 and 65 years participated in this study. Most participants were aware of aural itchiness (71.3%) and pain (35%) as symptoms related to middle ear pathologies. The use of cotton buds (51.1%) and other illnesses (35.5%) were primarily reported as risk factors for middle ear pathologies. There were varied responses with regard to awareness of which professionals manage middle ear pathologies, indicating a general lack of awareness. No statistically significant association was found between the dependent and independent variables (p  0.005).

Conclusion:  The study indicated a general lack of public awareness regarding middle ear pathologies and their associated risk factors among Giyani community.Contribution: The study raises implications for public awareness campaign that educates communities about middle ear pathologies, risk factors and social determinants of health associated with these pathologies.