Global use and outcomes of the hearWHO mHealth hearing test
Objectives The objective of this study was to examine the uptake, user characteristics, and performance of the free WHO smartphone hearing screening test ( hearWHO ) as a global hearing health promotion initiative. Method We retrospectively examined the data of 242 626 tests conducted by adults (>...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Digital Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076221113204 |
| _version_ | 1828231070093410304 |
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| author | Karina C De Sousa Cas Smits David R Moore Shelly Chada Herman Myburgh De Wet Swanepoel |
| author_facet | Karina C De Sousa Cas Smits David R Moore Shelly Chada Herman Myburgh De Wet Swanepoel |
| author_sort | Karina C De Sousa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives The objective of this study was to examine the uptake, user characteristics, and performance of the free WHO smartphone hearing screening test ( hearWHO ) as a global hearing health promotion initiative. Method We retrospectively examined the data of 242 626 tests conducted by adults (> 18 years) on the hearWHO app between February 2019 and May 2021. Test uptake was evaluated by country, WHO world region, test date, and demographics of age and gender. Results The hearWHO test was completed in nearly every country globally ( n = 179/195), with the greatest uptake seen in China and India. Uptake was greatest in the Western Pacific (32.9%) and European (24.8%) WHO regions. There was a high uptake of tests (44%) by young adults under the age of 30 years. Referral rates were typically higher for older age groups in most WHO regions, except for the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions, where overall hearWHO test uptake was lowest. Most testing (49%) took place in March (2019–2021) coinciding with World Hearing Day (3rd of March) each year. Conclusions Digital mhealth tools provide many benefits in healthcare, including health promotion, access to information, and services for hearing loss. The hearWHO test was mainly reaching younger adults, positioning it as an important measure for public health advocacy to prevent hearing loss. Since hearing loss is primarily age related, more targeted campaigns or community-based initiatives should be directed toward older adults. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:57:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-886f967dcfb3472b83ac843deb6b40ef |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2055-2076 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:57:53Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Digital Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-886f967dcfb3472b83ac843deb6b40ef2022-12-22T03:20:16ZengSAGE PublishingDigital Health2055-20762022-07-01810.1177/20552076221113204Global use and outcomes of the hearWHO mHealth hearing testKarina C De Sousa0Cas Smits1David R Moore2Shelly Chada3Herman Myburgh4De Wet Swanepoel5 Virtual Hearing Lab, Collaborative initiative between the University of Colorado and the University of Pretoria, Aurora, Colorado, USA Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ear and Hearing, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK Department of Noncommunicable Diseases, , Geneva, Switzerland Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, , Pretoria, South Africa Ear Sciences Centre, School of Surgery, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, AustraliaObjectives The objective of this study was to examine the uptake, user characteristics, and performance of the free WHO smartphone hearing screening test ( hearWHO ) as a global hearing health promotion initiative. Method We retrospectively examined the data of 242 626 tests conducted by adults (> 18 years) on the hearWHO app between February 2019 and May 2021. Test uptake was evaluated by country, WHO world region, test date, and demographics of age and gender. Results The hearWHO test was completed in nearly every country globally ( n = 179/195), with the greatest uptake seen in China and India. Uptake was greatest in the Western Pacific (32.9%) and European (24.8%) WHO regions. There was a high uptake of tests (44%) by young adults under the age of 30 years. Referral rates were typically higher for older age groups in most WHO regions, except for the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions, where overall hearWHO test uptake was lowest. Most testing (49%) took place in March (2019–2021) coinciding with World Hearing Day (3rd of March) each year. Conclusions Digital mhealth tools provide many benefits in healthcare, including health promotion, access to information, and services for hearing loss. The hearWHO test was mainly reaching younger adults, positioning it as an important measure for public health advocacy to prevent hearing loss. Since hearing loss is primarily age related, more targeted campaigns or community-based initiatives should be directed toward older adults.https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076221113204 |
| spellingShingle | Karina C De Sousa Cas Smits David R Moore Shelly Chada Herman Myburgh De Wet Swanepoel Global use and outcomes of the hearWHO mHealth hearing test Digital Health |
| title | Global use and outcomes of the hearWHO mHealth hearing test |
| title_full | Global use and outcomes of the hearWHO mHealth hearing test |
| title_fullStr | Global use and outcomes of the hearWHO mHealth hearing test |
| title_full_unstemmed | Global use and outcomes of the hearWHO mHealth hearing test |
| title_short | Global use and outcomes of the hearWHO mHealth hearing test |
| title_sort | global use and outcomes of the hearwho mhealth hearing test |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076221113204 |
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