15th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
March 13-15, 2016 • San Diego, CA
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Prevalence of Permanent Hearing Loss in Children
Purpose: Newborn hearing screening programs in the United States typically report 1-3 babies per 1,000 with permanent hearing loss. A frequently asked question is how many more children develop permanent hearing loss following the newborn period. Surprisingly, there is very little data to answer this question. Probably the most frequently cited study is by Niskar et al. who analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 6-19 year-old children using the publically available Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Niskar concluded that 17 children per 1,000 averaged hearing loss ?26 dBHL in lower frequencies (.5, 1, and 2 kHz), and 30 children per 1,000 averaged hearing loss ?26 dBHL in higher frequencies (3, 4, and 6 kHz). This suggests that 10-30 times as many 6-19 year-old children have hearing loss as newborns. Unfortunately, Niskar did not examine whether the children in the NHANES study had permanent or fluctuating hearing loss, so it is impossible compare the prevalence of childhood and newborn hearing loss. However, NHANES did include tympanometric data that makes such analyses possible.
Methods: Using the NHANES III data, we found the same results as Niskar. We then used tympanometric and audiometric data from NHANES to categorize each child with a hearing loss into “likely permanent” or “likely temporary.” We also subdivided the children with hearing loss into degree of hearing loss based on categories proposed by ASHA.
Results: Approximately 65% of the total reported hearing loss was likely permanent. Prevalence of low frequency permanent hearing loss ?26dB HL was 2.7 per 1,000 and the prevalence of high frequency permanent hearing loss was 5.7 per 1,000.
Conclusion: The increase in prevalence after the newborn period emphasizes the need for continuing to screen children for hearing loss.
- Estimate the prevalence of childhood hearing loss
- Describe how hearing loss prevalence varies by demographic characteristics
- Explain the difference between permanent and fluctuating hearing loss
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Presenters/Authors
Tyson Barrett
(Primary Presenter,Author), Utah State University, t.barrett@aggiemail.usu.edu;
I am a PhD student in Social Epidemiology. My passion is turning data into clear, actionable insight, especially when this insight helps improve lives, health, and well-being. Currently, I am a research assistant at the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management, helping as a Social Science Statistician with the various, ongoing quantitative projects. I am also a Statistics Consultant at the university.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Karl White
(Author), Utah State University, karl.white@usu.edu;
Dr. White is a Professor of Psychology, the Emma Eccles Jones Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Education, and the founding Director of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management. He has been the PI or Co-PI for over $50 million of competitively awarded research. His work has been recognized with awards from such diverse organizations as the Deafness Research Foundation, the American Association for Speech Language and Hearing, The Swedish Society of Medicine, and the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf. He has hundreds of publications and presentations at scholarly meetings, and has been an invited speaker to more than 35 countries. He also serves on many national and international advisory groups for organizations such as the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the World Health Organization, the Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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Karen Munoz
(Author), Utah State University, karen.munoz@usu.edu;
Karen Muñoz is an associate professor of audiology at Utah State University in the Department of Communicative Disorders and associate director of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management. Her research focus is in the area of childhood hearing loss.
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Nonfinancial -