Deaf Health Review

England has an estimated Deaf population of 80,000-100,000 who primarily communicate using British Sign Language (BSL). As in most other countries, the English Deaf have been shown to experience barriers in accessing healthcare services with resulting inequalities in health outcomes. Rogers et al. report their findings during the course of validating a BSL version of the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS). They found that their Deaf participants tended to report a lower mental well-being than the English population as a whole, although this difference was just short of being significant. Participants who reported mental health difficulties (such as depression or anxiety) had significantly lower mental well-being scores. Gender and considering themselves culturally Deaf was not correlated with the participant's mental well-being. Those who were under age 66 and not employed also reported significantly lower mental well-being, which is an important issue du...

Review of the Health of the Deaf The health of the Deaf  community is an under-researched topic. I compiled the studies I could find on the issue into a review . I hope that this site and my blog can help spotlight the health concerns and some solutions for this disadvantaged population.

France has about 51,000 Deaf who communicate primarily with French Sign Language. The French government has established 19 Deaf Care Units to help provide accessible health care. Druel et al. collected data from patients diagnosed with cancer at 5 of these centers over a 10-year period. A total of 80 newly diagnosed cases were found. The characteristics of these cancers were then compared to those of the rest of the French population. Colon and prostate cancers were significantly more likely to be at a late stage at diagnosis for the Deaf, while breast cancers were less likely. The authors attribute this to the guidelines for breast cancer screening being well-developed and straight-forward. On the other hand, the guidelines for prostate and colon cancers are less clearly defined and more dependant on communication between patients and providers, which can be difficult for the Deaf. Druel, V., Hayet, H., Esman, L., Clavel, M., & Bugat, M.-E.R. (2018). Assessment of cancers’ di...

About Me I am Kevin Rose, a researcher, teacher and analyst. I have also been hard-of-hearing since a very early age. While earning a MPH degree from CSU Long Beach I became interested in the health of the Deaf population. Since I couldn't find any comprehensive review of this topic, I decided to write one myself. I will use this blog to keep readers informed of new developments in the research of the health of the Deaf.