Reference Data for a Quick Speech-in-Noise Hearing Test in the French Language

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Speech Science
• Hearing Impairment Research

Background:

• Speech-in-noise (SiN) difficulty is a primary concern for individuals with hearing loss.
• Standardized SiN tests are crucial for clinical audiology but require language-specific validation.
• The French Vocale Rapide dans le Bruit (VRB) test offers a solution for French-speaking populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a reference dataset for the French VRB test.
• To evaluate the VRB test's sensitivity, reliability, and clinical utility.
• To establish the VRB test's effectiveness in identifying SiN impairments.

Main Methods:

• A nationwide study involving 641 participants with normal hearing and varying degrees of hearing loss.
• Presentation of everyday sentences in babble noise with increasing signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs).
• Determination of the speech reception threshold (SRT) and comparison with audiometric measures.

Main Results:

• The VRB test demonstrated high sensitivity and reliability, with steep psychometric functions and excellent test-retest consistency.
• Audiometric measures explained 74% of SRT variance in the general cohort, but only 29% in normal-hearing individuals.
• 18.4% of individuals not meeting criteria for hearing aid prescription based on other measures were identified as having impaired SRTs with the VRB test.

Conclusions:

• The VRB test is a sensitive and reliable tool for identifying speech-in-noise impairments in French speakers.
• The VRB test can identify individuals with significant SiN difficulties missed by traditional audiometric evaluations.
• Even a brief, one-minute VRB screening effectively detects most cases of impaired SRTs.