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. 2018 Nov 19;27(3S):448-454.
doi: 10.1044/2018_AJA-IMIA3-18-0016.

A Smartphone National Hearing Test: Performance and Characteristics of Users

Karina C De Sousa  1 , De Wet Swanepoel  1   2   3 , David R Moore  4   5 , Cas Smits  6
Affiliations

A Smartphone National Hearing Test: Performance and Characteristics of Users

Karina C De Sousa et al. Am J Audiol. .

Abstract

Purpose: The smartphone digits-in-noise hearing test, called hearZA, was made available as a self-test in South Africa in March 2016. This study determined characteristics and test performance of the listeners who took the test.

Method: A retrospective analysis of 24,072 persons who completed a test between March 2016 and August 2017 was conducted. User characteristics, including age, English-speaking competence, and self-reported hearing difficulty, were analyzed. Regression analyses were conducted to determine predictors of the speech reception threshold.

Results: Overall referral rate of the hearZA test was 22.4%, and 37% of these reported a known hearing difficulty. Age distributions showed that 33.2% of listeners were ages 30 years and younger, 40.5% were between ages 31 and 50 years, and 26.4% were older than 50 years. Age, self-reported English-speaking competence, and self-reported hearing difficulty were significant predictors of the speech reception threshold.

Conclusions: High test uptake, particularly among younger users, and high overall referral rate indicates that the hearZA app addresses a public health need. The test also reaches target audiences, including those with self-reported hearing difficulty and those with normal hearing who should monitor their hearing ability.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Age distribution of persons taking the hearZA test (n = 24,072).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The SRT against age group. Percentiles are shown. SRT = speech reception threshold; SNR = signal-to-noise ratio.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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