Part One - Australian Hearing

4 Australian Hearing Annual report 2009
Hearing loss in
Australia
It’s more common than you think
One in six people in Australia has
a hearing loss. With the ageing of
the Australian population, hearing
loss is projected to increase to one
in every four Australians by 2050. 1
Causes of hearing loss
The most significant single cause of
hearing loss in Australia is exposure
to loud noise. Thirty-seven per cent
of hearing loss is due to excessive
noise exposure. 1 However, hearing
loss can also occur through illness,
accident, exposure to certain
drugs and chemicals, and as part
of the normal ageing process.
Hearing loss
among children
In Australia, between nine and
12 children per 10,000 live births
will be born with a moderate or
greater hearing loss in both ears.
About a further 23 children per
10,000 will acquire a hearing
impairment that requires hearing
aids by the age of 17 through
accident, illness or other causes. 1
Otitis media (middle ear infection)
is often associated with temporary
or fluctuating hearing loss.
This in turn can affect a child’s
learning, language development
and behaviour. The incidence of
otitis media is significantly higher
among Indigenous children, for
whom it represents a serious
health and educational issue.
Hearing loss among
seniors and veterans
More than half the population
aged between 60 and 70 has a
hearing loss. 2 This increases to
more than 70 per cent of those
70 years and older 2 and 80 per
cent of those over the age of 80. 3
Men have a higher incidence
of hearing loss than women, 3
mainly due to noise exposure in
the workplace and during war
service. Hearing loss is the second
most common medical condition
reported by both Australian war
veterans and war widows.
Attitudes to hearing
and hearing loss
Our 2008 report, Is Australia Listening? Attitudes to hearing loss,
researched the perceptions and behaviours of 1,000 Australian
adults regarding hearing health. The report found that:
• one quarter of young Australians (18–34 years) don’t realise
that once your hearing is damaged, it cannot be restored;
• nearly half of 18–34 year old Australians go to noisy bars and pubs
and listen to music through headphones at least once a week;
• sixty per cent of all Australians reported they had suffered from
noticeable tinnitus (also known as ringing in the ears and a sign of
hearing damage) with prevalence higher among young Australians;