Determinants of caregivers' awareness of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening in Malaysia

Caregivers' awareness of UNHS is influenced by their perceived attitude while anxiety is not associated with caregivers' awareness. This implies that caregivers may not believe in early detection of hearing impairment in children, thinking that their babies are too young to be tested for hearing loss. Moreover, socio-economic situation of the caregivers may have contributed to their failure to honor UNHS screening appointments as some of them may need to work to earn a living while some may perceive it a waste of time honoring such appointments. Non-significant relationship between anxiety and caregivers' awareness may be due to religious beliefs of caregivers. Limitations and suggestions were discussed.