Hearing support for older Korean American adults
K-HEARS: Hearing Health through Accessible Research and Solutions for Korean Americans
This program uses community peer educators and over-the-counter hearing devices to help older Korean American adults with hearing loss improve communication and access to care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11237987 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, trained community health workers will work with you—often through Korean faith-based organizations—to teach how to use affordable, over-the-counter hearing devices and communication strategies. The program is delivered in Korean and is designed for older, often monolingual, Korean American adults and their partners or caregivers. Sessions include device fitting, hands-on training, help navigating hearing care, and follow-up support to make sure the devices are working for you. A prior small NIH pilot showed the approach is feasible and acceptable in this community.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are older Korean American adults (often first-generation and monolingual in Korean) who have trouble hearing and want community-based, low-cost hearing solutions.
Not a fit: People with severe-to-profound hearing loss, medical causes of hearing loss that need specialist care, or those outside the Korean American community may not get benefit from this over-the-counter, community-delivered program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make hearing help easier to get and improve everyday communication and quality of life for older Korean American adults.
How similar studies have performed: An NIH Stage IB pilot of the HEARS approach showed feasibility, acceptability, and early signs of benefit in community delivery.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nieman, Carrie L — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Nieman, Carrie L
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.