AIHW Report Summary

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) released the first annual report on the ‘Ear and hearing health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 2023’. This summary covers the report’s background, prevalence, data gaps, and data development opportunities.

Background

WHO estimates that 60% of childhood hearing loss is preventable. Despite this, First Nations children experience some of the highest rates of ear disease and hearing loss in the world (WHO 2004). For children, these problems can have major impacts on speech, language, and behavioural and cognitive development. Ear and hearing problems can also impact work, education, personal relationships, and community engagement—affecting overall quality of life and health.

Prevalence

The report found that 43% of First Nations people aged 7 and over had measured hearing loss in one or both ears as seen in Table 1. Data from 2018-2019 showed that First Nations people were 1.4 times more likely to report long-term hearing or ear problems and are 3 times more likely to have otitis media when compared with non-Indigenous Australians (AIHW and NIAA 2020).

Hearing loss was higher in remote communities. Nearly 30% of First Nations children aged 7-14 had documented hearing loss in one or both ears. This increased to 40% in remote and very remote areas as pictured in Figure 1.2.1.

Data Gaps

AIHW identified key data gaps within the report:

Prevalence of ear disease and hearing loss

Data used from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey excluded hearing tests. Including hearing tests and ear and hearing health questions is vital for determining changes in hearing loss in First Nations people over time, especially young children.

The client pathway

Clients can experience roadblocks to receiving care which may result in an uncompleted health care journey. National sources of data on how many clients are lost along their pathway do not exist.

Ear and hearing health workforce

Staff turnover and differences in care methods between regions and services create gaps in knowing how much treatment First Nations peoples receive.

Data and Development Opportunities

AIHW is working on several projects: developing nationally consistent primary health care data, a newborn hearing screening program, and a new indicator for health checks in primary care settings. This new indicator will be part of the national Key Performance Indicators collection for First Nations people.

National data sources that focus on health and social outcomes for First Nations people with ear disease and hearing loss do not exist. National Acoustics Laboratories (NAL) is working to fill this gap by developing a longitudinal study called HearOut that focuses on hearing health outcomes for First Nations children.

The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute is developing the Australian National Child Hearing Health Outcomes Registry—a national research database to collect and track hearing and ear outcome measures.

Flinders University is partnering with Aboriginal communities to identify patterns in the hearing health care journey for First Nations children.

In Summary

The AIHW report highlights key data and gaps, critical challenges within First Nations ear and hearing health, as well as opportunities for improvement. Although many organisations are working towards improving ear and hearing health, there is still much to be done within this space. It’s essential to be a key player in contributing to the ongoing initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes, reducing ear and hearing health inequities, and ultimately closing the gap.

Interested in Learning More?

Checkout the AIHWA Report for in-depth reading, as well as links to organisations’ ongoing projects:

Source: AIHWA Report