Hearing
London, June 10, 2024 (dpa/NAN) More people are affected by hearing loss than previously thought, academics said as they estimated that 18 million people could be affected across the UK.
Previous estimates suggested a figure of 12 million, but researchers have re-evaluated the existing data on the number of deaf people, those with hearing loss, and tinnitus.
In a news paper, published in the International Journal of Audiology on Monday, experts used new calculations to estimate the number of people affected.
Academics from the University of Manchester and University of Nottingham used data from the latest census carried out in Scotland in 2022 and the remainder of the UK in 2021 instead of the 2011 census.
This is the first time the it included data on people with lower levels of hearing loss and also those who experience hearing loss in one ear.
The national hearing loss charity RNID welcomed the new estimates and said the data now “captures the true total number of adults with hearing loss in the UK.”
Prof. Kevin Munro, a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) senior investigator at the University of Manchester, said: “These data more accurately reflect the number of adults in the UK who have impaired hearing that will cause listening difficulty, especially in background noise.”
Co-author Prof. Michael Akeroyd, NIHR senior investigator from the University of Nottingham, said: “The way we define hearing loss puts us at odds with most other countries.
“By modernising these numbers, we align with the latest international practice. We hope it will encourage more people to realise how common hearing loss is.”
Commenting on the analysis, Victoria Boelman, director of insight and policy at RNID, said: “RNID welcomes this new insight as a step forward in our understanding of the UK’s community of people with hearing loss.
“The updated statistics now reflect and include the real-life experience of the 18 million people in the UK who have different and diverse experiences of deafness and hearing loss.
“By previously excluding people with milder hearing loss or hearing loss in a single ear, society had effectively dismissed millions of people’s experiences and not factored them into national conversations.”
Martin McLean, senior policy adviser at the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “It’s good that it’s becoming more widely recognised that hearing loss of any level can significantly affect a person’s quality of life.
He said, for instance, children and young people with even mild or unilateral deafness can experience difficulties that often seriously affect their confidence, language development and educational prospects.
“We hope this new definition will lead to a greater acknowledgement of the impact that deafness of any level can have and lead to more action to support deaf people of all ages.
“We firmly believe that, with the right support, there’s no reason why a deaf child shouldn’t be able to lead a happy, fulfilled and productive life.”McLean said.(dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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Edited by Halima Sheji
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