Audiometric thresholds among a Canadian sample of 10 to 17 year old students

J Acoust Soc Am. 2012 Apr;131(4):2787-98. doi: 10.1121/1.3689550.

Abstract

A total of 237 students, 10 to 17 years of age, from 14 schools underwent hearing evaluations. Otoscopic examination, tympanometry and air-conduction pure tone audiometry was conducted at low (0.5, 1, 2 kHz) and high (4 and 8 kHz) frequencies. In all schools, hearing thresholds were measured with headphones in a portable audiometric booth. Socio-demographic information from students and their parents were collected using questionnaires. Overall, the prevalence of any hearing loss greater than 15 dB was 22.3% for low or high frequency pure tone averages. Self-reported symptoms of hearing loss, such as tinnitus, difficulty following a conversation with background noise, and having to turn up the TV/radio more than in the past, were associated with audiometric thresholds, most notably at 4 kHz. These study findings are among the first to provide a detailed characterization of hearing status in a sample of youth in a Canadian demographic.

MeSH terms

  • Acoustic Impedance Tests / methods
  • Adolescent
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Audiometry, Pure-Tone / methods*
  • Auditory Threshold / physiology*
  • Child
  • Female
  • Hearing / physiology*
  • Hearing Loss / diagnosis
  • Hearing Loss / epidemiology*
  • Hearing Loss / physiopathology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Noise
  • Ontario / epidemiology
  • Perceptual Masking / physiology
  • Pilot Projects
  • Tinnitus / epidemiology
  • Tinnitus / physiopathology