Adopt software to prevent hearing loss

Nearly 50 per cent of people aged 12-35 years are at risk of hearing loss due to prolonged and excessive exposure to loud sounds, including music they listen to through personal audio devices. PHOTO| FOTOSEARCH

The World Health Organisation has issued a new international standard for audio devices in a bid to prevent hearing loss.

The standard developed in conjunction with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), recommends that personal audio devices, including smartphones and audio players, should include “sound allowance” software that tracks the level and duration of the user’s exposure to sound as a percentage, then informs the user how safely (or not) his or her hearing is while listening to music, and gives cues for action based on this information.

“Given that we have the technological know-how to prevent hearing loss, it should not be the case that so many young people continue to damage their hearing while listening to music,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

HEARING LOSS RISK

According to a report released ahead of World Hearing Day on March 3, nearly 50 per cent of people aged 12-35 years are at risk of hearing loss due to prolonged and excessive exposure to loud sounds, including music they listen to through personal audio devices.

To make the devices safer, the global health agency has instructed that devices should have volume-limiting options, including automatic volume reduction and parental volume control.

The standard was developed under WHO’s “Make Listening Safe” initiative which seeks to improve listening practices especially among young people, both when they are exposed to music and other sounds at noisy entertainment venues, and as they listen to music through their personal audio devices.

“Over five per cent of the world’s population has disabling hearing loss (432 million adults and 34 million children) that has an impact on their quality of life, and most live in low- and middle-income countries,” noted the report.

It is estimated that by 2050, one in every 10 people will have disabling hearing loss. Half of all cases of hearing loss can be prevented through public health measures. Therefore, WHO recommends that governments and manufacturers adopt the voluntary WHO-ITU standard.

“Civil society, in particular professional associations and others that promote hearing care, also has a role to play in advocating for the standard and in raising public awareness about the importance of safe listening practices so that consumers demand products that protect them from hearing loss.

The WHO-ITU toolkit for implementation of the global standard for safe listening devices provides practical guidance on how to do this.