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Age of identification of hearing impairment in Mumbai--a trend analysis
Gayatri Subodh Sirur1, R Rangasayee
1Hashu Advani College of Special Education, 64/65 Collector Colony, Chembur, Mumbai 400074, India. gsirur@yahoo.com
Insights
Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) is crucial for early detection of congenital hearing loss. In Mumbai, despite efforts, the age of identification for hearing impairment in children remains high, necessitating policy changes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) significantly reduces the age of identification for congenital hearing loss.
- Mumbai, India, currently lacks a UNHS program, hindering early detection of hearing impairments in infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the trend in the age of identification (AOI) of hearing impairment in children attending special schools in Mumbai.
- To assess the effectiveness of current identification methods in reducing AOI for pediatric hearing loss.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective survey was conducted on 510 children.
- Data on date of birth and age of identification were collected via parental interviews and document scrutiny.
Main Results:
- The age of identification (AOI) for hearing impairment decreased by 9.59 months between 1989 and 2008.
- Despite the reduction, the AOI in 2008 was still over one year, far exceeding the recommended three months.
Conclusions:
- Current identification efforts in Mumbai are insufficient to meet recommended targets for early detection of hearing loss.
- The absence of UNHS in Mumbai necessitates policy-level decisions to improve early identification of hearing impairment in children.
Unlabelled:
Implementation of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) has led to lowering the age of identification of congenital hearing loss in children. In the absence of UNHS in Mumbai (India), it is pertinent to establish a data base on the age of identification of permanent hearing loss in children to facilitate affirmative action.
Objective:
To study the trend in age of identification (AOI) of hearing impairment in children studying in special schools.
Methods:
This retrospective study was a survey conducted on a convenient sample. The authentic data about date of birth and age of identification (AOI) of 510 children were collected through parental interview, and scrutiny of documents like birth certificates, first audiological report maintained in special schools/institutes/hospitals.
Results:
Time series analysis of the data concluded that from 1989 to 2008, AOI has reduced by 9.59 months. AOI has not reached one year even by 2008 and is much below the target of three months of age as per the recommendation of Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (2007).
Conclusion:
In absence of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) in Mumbai (India) the present efforts do not seem to be enough in lowering the age of identification of hearing loss and policy decision is warranted.
