PREVALENCE OF HEARING LOSS AMONG JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS STUDENTS IN OSOGBO –OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

-Introduction: Hearing is essential to learning spoken language and is important for the cognitive development of children. Without suitable interventions, hearing loss is a barrier to both education and social integration. It has been reported that more than 80% of persons with hearing loss reside in developing world but there are limited prospects of early detection for hearing loss because of numerous barriers. It is estimated that over 60% of such hearing loss could be avoided through preventive measures. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of hearing loss among secondary school students in Osogbo the capital of Osun State and its suburb. Methods: This is a cross sectional descriptive study. It was conducted in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State and its suburb. The participants were all the junior students of six (6) selected secondary schools in the state. Five hundred and twenty-eight (528) students participated in the study. Otoacoustic Emission (OAE) machine was used to screen all the participants to determine those with hearing loss. Results: Out of 528 participants, 224 (42.4%) males and 304 (57.6%) females participated in the study with a mean age of 13.59 and standard deviation of 1.67. Approximately, a prevalence of 9% hearing loss was discovered in this study, that is, 8.7% in the right ears and 9.3% in the left ears. Conclusion: Hearing loss is becoming a public health problem which calls for an urgent attention. We therefore recommend school hearing screening and prompt management in order to reduce ear and hearing problems among school age students that may result into permanent hearing loss in the future.