"When unaddressed, hearing loss impacts many aspects of life at individual
level"
and collective too.
individual
|
INTERPERSONAL :
SCIENCES
humanistic ----------------------------------------------- mechanistic
SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL
|
group
|
"Communication and speech
Cognition
Education and Employment: In developing
countries, children with hearing loss and deafness often do not
receive schooling. Adults with hearing loss also have a much
higher unemployment rate. Among those who are employed, a higher
percentage of people with hearing loss are in the lower grades of
employment compared with the general workforce."
|
"Nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide ─ or 1 in 4 people ─ will be
living with some degree of hearing loss by 2050, warns the World
Health Organization’s (WHO) first World Report on Hearing,
released today. At least 700 million of these people will require
access to ear and hearing care and other rehabilitation services
unless action is taken."
|
"But the most glaring gap in health system capacity is in human
resources. Among low-income countries, about 78% have fewer than
one ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist per million population;
93% have fewer than one audiologist per million; only 17% have one
or more speech therapist per million; and 50% have one or more
teacher for the deaf per million. This gap can be closed through
integration of ear and hearing care into primary health care
through strategies such as task sharing and training, outlined in
the report."
|
"Impact on society and economy
Years Lived with Disability (YDLs) and Disability Adjusted Life
Years (DALYs)
WHO estimates that unaddressed hearing loss poses an annual
global cost of US$ 980 billion. This includes health sector costs
(excluding the cost of hearing devices), costs of educational
support, loss of productivity, and societal costs. 57% of these
costs are attributed to low- and middle-income countries."
|
Sources:
https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2021-who-1-in-4-people-projected-to-have-hearing-problems-by-2050
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss
Dear colleagues,
We have recently published an article that presents some insights from
Canada
(full-text available from ResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343400636_Here's_to_sound_action_on_global_hearing_health_through_public_health_approaches )
Shroff, F.M. and Jung, D. (2020), "Here's to sound action on global hearing
health through public health approaches", International Journal of Health
Governance, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 235-244.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHG-01-2020-0004
Abstract Purpose – A global pandemic, non-occupational noise-induced hearing
loss (NIHL) is a completely preventable public health problem, which receives
limited air time. This study has dual purposes: to contribute to scholarly
literature that puts non-occupational NIHL on the global priority map and to
effect change in the City of Vancouver’s policies toward noise.
Design/methodology/approach – Experts in public health and hearing health were
contacted in addition to a scoping literature search on PubMed. Information
pertaining to both developed and developing countries was obtained, and
comparison was made to Canada where possible. The authors met with elected
officials at the City of Vancouver to inform them of the win–win aspects of
policies that promoted better hearing.
Findings – Non-occupational NIHL is an underappreciated issue in Canada and
many other countries, as seen by the lack of epidemiological data and public
health initiatives. Other countries, such as Australia, have more robust
research and public health programs, but most of the world lags behind. Better
hearing health is possible through targeted campaigns addressing root causes
of non-occupational, recreational noise–positive associations with loud noise.
By redefining social norms so that soft to moderate sounds are associated with
positive values and loud sounds are negatively attributed, the societies will
prevent leisure NIHL. The authors recommend widespread national all-age
campaigns that benefit from successful public health campaigns of the past,
such as smoking cessation, safety belts and others. Soft Sounds are Healthy
(SSH) is a suggested name for a campaign that would take many years, ample
resources and sophisticated understanding of behavior change to be
effective.
Research limitations/implications – A gap exists in the collection of
non-occupational NIHL data. Creating indicators and regularly collecting data
is a high priority for most nations. Beyond data collection, prevention of
non-occupational NIHL ought to be a high priority. Studies in each region
would propel understanding, partly to discern the cultural factors that would
predispose the general population to change favorable attitudes toward loud
sounds to associations of moderate sounds with positivity. Evaluations of
these campaigns would then follow.
Practical implications – Everyday life for many people around the world,
particularly in cities, is loud. Traffic, construction, loudspeakers, music
and other loud sounds abound. Many people have adapted to these loud
soundscapes, and others suffer from the lack of peace and quiet. Changing
cultural attitudes toward loud sound will improve human and animal health,
lessen the burden on healthcare systems and positively impact the economy.
Social implications–Industries that create loud technologies and machinery
ought to be required to find ways to soften noise. Regulatory mechanisms that
are enforced by law and fines ought to be in place. When governments take up
the banner of hearing health, they will help to set a new tone toward loud
sounds as undesirable, and this will partially address the root causes of the
problem of non-occupational NIHL.
Thanks
Irina Ibragimova, PhD
Co-editor, International Journal of Health Governance
HIFA profile: Irina Ibraghimova is a medical librarian, based in Croatia, and
works with health care professionals in the countries of the Former Soviet
Union, Central and Eastern Europe, and Africa. Her interests include
evidence-based practice (both in health care and in library/informatics
field). She is a HIFA Country Representative for Croatia.
https://www.hifa.org/support/members/irina www.lrcnetwork.org
www.healthconnect-intl.org ibra AT zadar.net
Source:
HIFA https://www.hifa.org/
(Posted a little late...)
orcid.org/0000-0002-0192-8965