Ms Stephanie Thai1, Ms Vivian Tran1, Ms Libby Smith2, Dr Valerie Sung1,2,3, Dr Peter Carew1,2
1The University Of Melbourne, Carlton, Australia, 2Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia, 3Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented changes to the lives of all children. For children with hearing loss, the impacts of these changes on hearing device use during the pandemic are unknown. This study aimed to describe caregiver-reported hearing device use trends during the COVID-19 pandemic in a population-based sample.
Methods: The study population (n=299) comprised of children aged 0-18 years within the Victorian Childhood Hearing Longitudinal Databank (VicCHILD). A survey was sent out in mid-2020 to participating families and caregivers were asked to describe their child’s hearing device use both prior to and during the early weeks of the pandemic. The same data was collected in a follow-up survey 12-18 months later for mid-pandemic hearing device use. Caregiver reports of hearing device use were analysed to determine if different patterns of hearing device use were observed during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic.
Results: In school-aged children, daily hearing device use significantly reduced at early- (9.89 hrs, SD= 5.51) and mid-pandemic (9.88 hrs, SD=5.04) from pre-pandemic levels (11.06 hrs, SD=4.22), p < .001. Factors associated with greater reported hearing device use prior to the pandemic for school-aged children were bilateral loss, greater degree of hearing loss and higher chronological age. Maternal education level and education program was not associated with daily hearing device use in school-aged children.
In preschool-aged children, no significant difference in hearing device use was observed pre- vs during the pandemic. Maternal education level and degree of hearing loss were not associated with hearing device use in preschool-aged children.
Implications: There is a clear association between the COVID-19 pandemic and a reduction in hearing device use in school-aged children with hearing loss. Further research to document the impacts of this is important.
Biography:
Stephanie Thai completed her Master of Clinical Audiology in 2022 at the University of Melbourne. She has recently commenced practice as an audiologist in Victoria.