Development of a Health Behavior Screening Tool for Deaf College Students

Young adults who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing (D/HH) face behavioral health risks similar to hearing adults. Despite the emphasis on health behavior screening in health care settings, a brief screening tool in American Sign Language (ASL) does not exist. This manuscript describes the development and pilot testing of an online survey in ASL called the Deaf Health Behavior Report. The Deaf Health Behavior Report includes standardized questions for general health, health behaviors, and psychosocial topics. We invited all D/HH students at a university in Southern California to complete the Deaf Health Behavior Report. A total of 31 D/HH students completed the survey. The most prevalent health risks were related to nutrition, stress, and binge drinking. The Deaf Health Behavior Report is a useful tool for health promotion efforts on college campuses and in general health settings.