Over 30 percent primary school students in Katowice surveyed in September have a slight hearing loss. The results of the research were announced on Thursday by representatives of the National Hearing Test campaign.
A pilot project of hearing testing in children in grades 1 to 3 was carried out in cooperation with the Provincial Sanitary and Epidemiological Station in 6 primary schools in Katowice on September 18 and 19. 154 children took part in the test, the same number of boys and girls – 77 each.
The children took part in a two-stage test. First, they were “fed” through headphones with sounds of a certain intensity and frequency alternately to the right and left ear. Those who did not hear all the signals were directed to a more detailed audiometric examination.
The sounds from the headphones were heard flawlessly by 105 children, but as many as 47, i.e. over 30 percent. Hearing care professionals diagnosed hearing loss. “Fortunately, most of them have mild hearing loss, which should be corrected as soon as possible – so that it does not worsen. In two children, we noticed symptoms of moderate hearing loss, typical of people over 50 years of age. People with such hearing loss have problems, for example, with understanding speech in the street, ”said Magdalena Jasnoch, the coordinator of the National Hearing Test 2012 campaign on Thursday.
Earlier, from February to April this year, the Provincial Sanitary and Epidemiological Station in Katowice conducted noise tests in seven primary schools in Katowice. Measurements were taken in classrooms during lessons, in gyms during PE classes and in corridors during breaks.
The sound level not exceeding 75 decibels is considered safe. At levels above 80 decibels, the risk of hearing impairment in students, especially those who are hypersensitive to sounds, cannot be ruled out. In most of the schools surveyed, this level was exceeded. Living in noise can damage your hearing.
Experts indicate that in addition to exposure to it at school, children also deal with it at home. Parents should ensure that the child watches the TV too loudly and uses headphones as little as possible. The most dangerous are those worn inside the ear ..
When it is noisy, it is harder to learn because the effectiveness of information acquisition decreases. Hearing impairment is one of the most common causes of speech delay, which can make learning to read and write difficult and contribute to the onset of stuttering. (PAP)
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