Dissemination of information regarding services for hearing loss and other communication disorders among children in a few rural districts of Southern India : A comparison of strategies.

<ns3:p>Background Individuals who could benefit from audiological or speech-language interventions might not seek help because of their poor awareness of the limited available services. Moreover, misconceptions about audiology, speech, and language pathologies may prevail, leading to stigma or hesitation in seeking assistance for communication difficulties. Public dissemination of healthcare information is conducted to create awareness among the local population. Healthcare information is disseminated in rural communities through various public programs that include, but are not limited to, Didactic Lecture Programs (DLP) and Performing Art Programs (PAP). The effectiveness of information retention for both Immediate Retention (IR) and Delayed Retention (DR) has not been explored for PAP and DLP. This study compares the Immediate Retention (IR) and Delayed Retention (DR) of disseminated information about communication disorders and available services in rural communities through the Didactic Lecture-Program (DLP) and the Performing Art-Program (PAP). Methods cross-sectional study design was used. Three rural districts- Ariyalur, Perambalur, and Kanchipuram–of Tamil Nadu, South India, were the study sites. Dissemination of information was performed by local community health workers (DLP) and performing-artists (PAP). To compare IR and DR, a 10-item-questionnaire was developed and administered at baseline, immediately after, and two-months-post. Results IR analysis of 152 participants (DLP-59 and PAP-93) revealed a significant improvement in scores from baseline to immediate post for both methods. There was no significant difference between the methods, suggesting that both the strategies were equally effective. DR analysis among 84 participants (DLP-30 and PAP-54) revealed no significant difference within and between the methods, indicating that information was retained after 2 months. Conclusions Both DLP and PAP were effective in conveying knowledge about communication disorders and the available services. The PAP attracted and retained more participants than the DLP.</ns3:p>