Hearing loss in childhood and later in life

Summary

The consequences of hearing loss early in life can be of great importance for later psychosocial development and health, and thus have great importance from a public health perspective. Possible consequences can be lower education, income and participation in working life than among the rest of the population, poorer social networks, and reduced mental health. In the period 1954-86, all pupils in the primary school in Nord-Trøndelag had their hearing examined during school time. All 8,407 pupils who tested positive in the hearing screening were offered an examination by an ENT specialist. We will use data from HUNT 1-3, the Hearing Examination in NT, the school examinations and population registers. We will investigate the significance of early hearing loss on hearing, psychosocial conditions and other health variables later in life.