Towards the virtualization of a sound source localization acuity test to aid the diagnosis of spatial processing disorder in school-aged children: An experimental approach

Spatial hearing is an essential auditory function. It allows us to localize, segregate, and group sound sources in space. Accurate sound source localization is a fundamental ability for understanding and following speech in everyday situations, as it contributes to our capacity to discern between target signal streams and other simultaneous sound sources that can be regarded as noise (cocktail party processing).BMBF, 13FH666IA6, IngenieurNachwuchs 2016: Binaurales Hören in der realen und virtuellen Welt zur Verbesserung der Hör-Erfahrung von Schulkindern (VIWER-S

A Representative Study of Hearing Ability in North West Germany

The estimated hearing ability of German citizens is based on a comprehensive study published by von Stackelberg in 1986[...

Adjusting Expectations: Hearing Abilities in a Population-Based Sample Using an SSQ Short Form

The German short form of the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) was administered in a cross-sectional study based on stratified random samples complemented by audiometric tests and a general interview. Data from 1,711 unaided adults aged 18 to 97 years were analyzed in order to determine a distribution of hearing abilities considered as normal and the main factors that impact self-assessments. An innovative mathematical approach was used to overcome the constraints of statistics based on the mean. Quantile regression analysis yielded a benchmark distribution of SSQ scores that might support audiologists in setting realistic SSQ score targets and estimated how the effect of auditory and nonauditory factors changes across the distribution of SSQ scores. Regression models showed significant effects for nonauditory factors on SSQ ratings when controlled for pure-tone hearing and interaural asymmetry. Self-reporting of hearing difficulties, when asked in general terms, was substantially related to SSQ ratings. This effect was observed in both high and low scoring participants and led to a considerable score decrease in all SSQ subscales. Gender, educational level, and self-reporting of health issues also were significantly related to SSQ ratings, but the corresponding effects were regularly unbalanced across the score distribution and particularly large at lower quantiles. The estimated effects of age, however, were mostly small in size, inconsistent regarding the direction, and failed significance for all SSQ items. Overall, the results suggest that nonauditory factors and cumulative effects must be considered when evaluating rehabilitative interventions against an ideal outcome

Gender-specific hearing loss in German adults aged 18 to 84 years compared to US-American and current European studies.

IntroductionFrom an epidemiological point of view, the increase of pure-tone hearing thresholds as one aspect of biological ageing is moderated by societal factors. Since health policies refer to empirical findings, it is reasonable to replicate population-based hearing surveys and to compare estimates for different birth cohorts from the same regions or, conversely, for the same birth cohorts from different regions.MethodsWe pooled data from two independent cross-sectional German studies conducted between 2008 and 2012 and including 3105 adults. The increase of thresholds, the prevalence and risk of hearing impairment (HI) by age and gender were compared to results reported for European and US-American studies that were carried out at about the same time. Since these studies differed with regard to the age limits, the statistical approaches and, importantly, their definitions of HI, data adjustments were performed to enable the comparison.ResultsOverall, 15.5% of the participants in the German studies showed a pure-tone average at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz in the better ear (PTA) greater than 25 dB HL and 8.6% had a PTA of at least 35 dB HL. Based on one-to-one comparisons, the German estimates demonstrated a good agreement to a large Dutch study and with some reservations to a Swedish study, but considerable differences to US-American results. Comprehensive comparisons of the within-study gender differences showed that age-related HI was less and the gender gap was markedly smaller in Europe compared to the US due to the lower HI in males found in the European studies.ConclusionDiscrepancies in measurement procedures, conditions, and equipment that complicate the comparison of absolute HI estimates across studies play no or only a marginal role when comparing relative estimates. Hence, the gender gap differences reviewed in this analysis possibly stem from societal conditions that distinguish societies commonly labeled modern industrialized western countries

Hearing-aid adoption in Northern and Southern Germany

On an international level, estimates of the prevalence of hearing loss are often based on the criterion of the world health organization (WHO), but other criteria have also been applied. Both the prevalence of hearing loss and the number of hearing-aid fittings can be used to estimate the adoption rate, which is often regarded as being in need of improvement. To illustrate the effect of the prevalence criteria on the assessments, epidemiological data for hearing abilities in Oldenburg, Emden, and Aalen were used. The criteria were either based on the pure-tone audiogram, on speech recognition in noise, or on the subjective indication of hearing difficulties. The results showed a strong dependency of the adoption rate on the prevalence criterion. Criteria based on speech recognition in noise led to very high prevalence, but low adoption rates. Age-independent analysis resulted in similar adoption rates of approx. 25% for subjective hearing difficulties, for the common WHO criterion, and for the four-frequency-table of Röser. However, age-dependent analysis revealed large differences between the subjective indication and the criteria based on pure-tone audiometry. Overall, statements regarding the prevalence of hearing impairment and rate of hearing-aid adoption should always include the applicable criterion, and should either be viewed as age-dependent, or related to a standard population.Zur Angabe der Prävalenz von Schwerhörigkeit wird international häufig das Kriterium der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) verwendet, jedoch auch andere Prävalenzkriterien kommen zum Einsatz. Aus dieser Prävalenz und der Anzahl der Hörgeräteversorgungen kann die Versorgungsrate abgeschätzt werden, die häufig als verbesserungsbedürftig angesehen wird. Um aufzuzeigen, wie sich die Wahl des Kriteriums auf die Prävalenzschätzungen auswirkt, wurden die epidemiologischen Daten zum Hörvermögen aus Oldenburg, Emden und Aalen herangezogen. Dabei basierten die Kriterien entweder auf dem Tonaudiogramm, dem Sprachverstehen im Störgeräusch oder der subjektiven Angabe von Hörschwierigkeiten. Die Ergebnisse zeigen eine starke Abhängigkeit der Versorgungsrate vom Prävalenzkriterium. Kriterien, die auf dem Sprachverstehen im Störgeräusch basieren, führen zu sehr hohen Prävalenzen und geringen Versorgungsraten. Bei altersunabhängiger Betrachtung führen sowohl die subjektive Angabe von Hörschwierigkeiten als auch das übliche WHO-Kriterium und die 4-Frequenz-Tabelle nach Röser zu einer Versorgungsrate von etwa 25%. Eine altersabhängige Betrachtung zeigt jedoch große Unterschiede zwischen der subjektiven Angabe und den tonaudiometrischen Kriterien auf. Insgesamt sollten die Angaben zur Prävalenz von Schwerhörigkeit und zur Versorgungsrate immer das verwendete Kriterium enthalten und altersabhängig bzw. bezogen auf eine Standardpopulation betrachtet werden

Hearing threshold distribution and effect of screening in a population-based German sample

<div><p></p><p><i>Objective</i>: To establish the status of hearing in adults in Germany and the effects of screening for noise, tinnitus, ear diseases, and general health on the distribution of hearing threshold levels (HTL) <i>Design</i>: A cross-sectional epidemiological study conducted between 2010 and 2012 in two middle-sized cities. <i>Study sample</i>: A total of 1903 adults aged 18 to 97 years from a randomized sample drawn from the local registration offices and stratified for age and gender. <i>Results</i>: Dispersion and distribution of HTL data observed in the population-based sample are well in line with international results. However, median HTL tend to be better than in most recent international studies. Screening for “otological normality” improves the median HTL overall by 3 dB in males and 1 dB in females. This effect is strongly age-dependent in males and far less pronounced in females. While by and large HTL medians of females in the screened sample meet the values expected by ISO 7029:2000, HTL medians of males in middle and higher age cohorts are better than expected, especially in the frequencies above 2 kHz. <i>Conclusions</i>: This study supports international findings that in males, the age-related decrease in hearing sensitivity at high frequencies is smaller than described by ISO 7029:2000.</p></div