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The Chinese Hearing Questionnaire for School Children
Xingkuan Bu1, Xiaolu Li, Carlie Driscoll
1Ear and Hearing Centre, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, People's Republic of China.
Insights
A new hearing screening questionnaire for Chinese school children showed low accuracy. Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) screening proved more effective for identifying hearing loss in this population.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Hearing loss is a significant disability in China, affecting millions.
- There is a need for effective hearing surveillance systems tailored to China's population.
- Official neonatal hearing screening consensus highlights the importance of childhood surveillance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a questionnaire for mass hearing screening of school children in China.
- To compare the effectiveness of a new questionnaire with otoacoustic emissions (OAE) for hearing screening.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 317 rural students in Jiangsu Province participated.
- Screening was conducted using the Chinese Hearing Questionnaire for School Children (CHQS) and otoacoustic emissions (OAE).
- Test performance measures were analyzed to evaluate accuracy.
Main Results:
- The CHQS demonstrated average overall accuracy (A' = 0.54).
- OAE screening achieved higher system accuracy (A' = 0.85) with excellent efficiency and specificity.
- OAE screening showed reasonable sensitivity for detecting hearing loss.
Conclusions:
- The CHQS requires significant modification to improve sensitivity before widespread use as a mass screening tool.
- Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) present a more accurate and efficient method for school-aged hearing screening in China.
- Further research is needed to enhance the CHQS for effective childhood hearing surveillance.
Abstract:
Hearing loss is the most common of all disabilities in China, with three million of the 1.4 billion population affected. Recently, the release of an official neonatal hearing screening consensus has drawn attention to the importance of continued surveillance throughout childhood and the need for a system that is suited to the Chinese situation. The current research aimed to develop and evaluate a questionnaire for mass screening of school children in China. In Jiangsu Province, 317 rural students were screened using the Chinese Hearing Questionnaire for School Children (CHQS) and otoacoustic emissions (OAE). Test performance measures for the questionnaire method revealed average overall accuracy (A' = 0.54), while higher system accuracy was obtained for the OAEs (A' = 0.85). The OAE screening also produced very high efficiency and specificity values with reasonable sensitivity. Unlike the OAE protocol, the CHQS will require substantial modification to improve its sensitivity prior to utilization as a mass screening tool.
