Prevalence of hearing impairment in school children (aged 8-14 years) in the villages of Vadamavanthal, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Background: Children with hearing loss, congenital or acquired, have minimum or no schooling. There are lots of school dropouts in children who have hearing impairment due to trouble keeping up with their peers. This not only affects the economic development but also the social development in communities and countries. The importance of hard of hearing is often largely underestimated since it is an invisible disability. It is mostly asymptomatic, and thus easily overlooked .Not many parents understand about it, till the child’s teacher mentions it to them. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of hearing impairment in school children aged 8years to 14 years in the schools in Vadamavanthal area during the months of January 2013 to July 2013. The students were interviewed through pre-tested questionnaire and aural examination was done by a qualified otolaryngologist. Results: This study was conducted among 700 school children of age 8 to 14 years. 216 (30.9%) school children were suffering from hearing impairment. It was more prevalent in the age group of 8 years followed by the age group of 14 years. Conclusions: Simple measures like regular screening for ear diseases and hearing assessment done at the school level can help identify hearing impairment. Hearing impairment leads to poor academic achievement and affect the child’s vocational choices in future.