Measured hearing loss and severity
-
43%
of First Nations people aged 7 and over had measured hearing loss in 2018–19.
Measured hearing loss
In 2018–19, around 43% of First Nations people aged 7 and over (around 290,400) had measured hearing loss in one ear (20%) or both ears (23%) (Table PREVALENCE 1, Table PREVALENCE 2).
Age and sex
The proportion of First Nations people with measured hearing loss in one or both ears increased steadily with age, from 29% (around 42,200) among First Nations children aged 7–14 to 82% (around 79,800) among those aged 55 and over (Table PREVALENCE 1, Table PREVALENCE 2).
| Age (years) | No measured hearing loss | With measured hearing loss in one ear only | With measured hearing loss in both ears | Total with measured hearing loss | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-14 | 102.9 | 24.0 | 18.1 | 42.2 | 145.1 |
| 15-24 | 111.1 | 29.7 | 15.3 | 44.7 | 155.5 |
| 25-34 | 79.2 | 25.5 | 13.3 | 39.1 | 117.8 |
| 35-44 | 49.6 | 16.2 | 17.9 | 33.9 | 83.7 |
| 45-54 | 30.7 | 22.2 | 28.3 | 50.7 | 81.8 |
| 55 and over | 17.6 | 18.2 | 61.7 | 79.8 | 97.6 |
| Total | 390.8 | 135.8 | 154.3 | 290.4 | 681.0 |
Source: AIHW analysis of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2018–19.
| Age (years) | No measured hearing loss | With measured hearing loss in one ear only | With measured hearing loss in both ears | Total with measured hearing loss | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-14 | 71 | 17 | 12 | 29 | 100 |
| 15-24 | 71 | 19 | 10 | 29 | 100 |
| 25-34 | 67 | 22 | 11 | 33 | 100 |
| 35-44 | 59 | 19 | 21 | 41 | 100 |
| 45-54 | 38 | 27 | 35 | 62 | 100 |
| 55 and over | 18 | 19 | 63 | 82 | 100 |
| Total | 57 | 20 | 23 | 43 | 100 |
Source: AIHW analysis of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2018–19.
Among First Nations children aged 7–14, measured hearing loss was more common among girls (35%) than boys (23%). Among First Nations people aged 55 and over, the proportion with measured hearing loss was greater among men (90%) than women (75%) (Figure PREVALENCE 6).
Figure PREVALENCE 6: Measured hearing loss among First Nations people aged 7 and over, by age and sex, 2018–19
Column chart shows measured hearing loss among First Nations people increases with age with higher prevalence in males in age groups 15 years and over.
| Sex | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| 7–14 | 23.3 | 34.9 |
| 15–24 | 30.3 | 26.9 |
| 25–34 | 30.7 | 35.5 |
| 35–44 | 44.4 | 38.1 |
| 45–54 | 70 | 55.9 |
| 55 and over | 90.4 | 74.8 |
- Data for measured hearing loss were imputed for all participants who elected not to complete the hearing test.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2018–19.
Remoteness
Around 40% of First Nations children aged 7–14 in Remote and very remote areas (around 10,000) had measured hearing loss, compared with 31% (20,600) in Inner and outer regional areas and 23% (12,300) in Major cities. Measured hearing loss increased with remoteness for all age groups (Figure PREVALENCE 7).
Figure PREVALENCE 7: Measured hearing loss among First Nations people aged 7 and over, by age and remoteness area, 2018–19
Column chart shows among First Nations people measured hearing loss increases with age with a higher prevalence in remote areas in age groups under 55.
| Remoteness area | Major cities | Inner and outer regional | Remote and very remote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7–14 | 23.2 | 30.5 | 40.2 |
| 15–54 | 28.7 | 37.8 | 58.5 |
| 55 and over | 78.5 | 81.2 | 88.3 |
- Data for measured hearing loss were imputed for all participants who elected not to complete the hearing test.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2018–19.
State and territory
Across states and territories, the proportion of First Nations people aged 7 and over with measured hearing loss ranged from around 33–34% in Victoria and Tasmania to 60% in the Northern Territory (data table 1.2.1c). The proportions of First Nations people with measured hearing loss varied more by state/territory among those aged 7–14 and 15–54, than among people aged over 55 (Figure PREVALENCE 8).
Figure PREVALENCE 8: Measured hearing loss among First Nations people aged 7 and over, by state/territory and age, 2018–19
Column chart shows levels of measured hearing loss vary across states and territories for younger First Nations people but less so for older people.
| State/territory | 7–14 | 15–54 | 55 and over |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW/ACT | 25.3 | 31.7 | 79.6 |
| Vic. | 17.4 | 27.7 | 80.6 |
| Qld | 34.3 | 41.8 | 82.8 |
| WA | 34.3 | 43.3 | 83.8 |
| SA | 26 | 33.6 | 85.7 |
| Tas. | 16.7 | 29.5 | 76.7 |
| NT | 41.7 | 60.3 | 85 |
- Data for measured hearing loss were imputed for all participants who elected not to complete the hearing test.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2018–19.
Severity of measured hearing loss
Hearing loss may affect one ear or both ears and can range from mild to profound.
Measuring the severity of hearing loss
In the 2018–19 NATSIHS, the degree of hearing loss in each ear, as measured by a voluntary online hearing test, was determined by the volume in decibels (dB) at which the quietest sound could be heard. The results of the NATSIHS hearing test were categorised into the following levels of hearing impairment for each ear, based on advice from the National Acoustics Laboratories:
- no hearing loss (quietest sound that can be heard is 20 dB or lower)
- mild hearing impairment (more than 20–40 dB)
- moderate hearing impairment (more than 40–60 dB)
- severe or profound (more than 60 dB).
For those with hearing loss in both ears, the severity of hearing loss overall was determined using the quietest sound a person could hear in their better ear (ABS 2018–2019).
In 2018–19, of the approximately 290,400 First Nations people aged 7 and older with measured hearing loss:
- 20% had hearing loss in one ear only
- 23% had hearing loss in both ears, made up of
- 15% with mild hearing loss
- 3.6% with moderate hearing loss
- 4.4% with severe or profound hearing loss (data table 1.2.2b).
Age and sex
While the proportion of First Nations people with hearing loss generally increased with age, patterns of hearing loss across age groups varied slightly according to the severity of the hearing loss. The proportion of First Nations people with hearing loss in one ear only ranged from 17% of those aged 7–14, to 27% among those aged 45–54.
The proportion of First Nations people with mild hearing loss generally increased steadily with age, from around 7% of those aged 7–14 or 15–24, to 33% of those aged 55 and over.
The proportions of First Nations people with moderate, or severe/profound hearing loss, also increased with age. Among those aged 55 and over, more than 3 in 5 First Nations people had some degree of hearing loss in both ears and nearly 1 in 5 had severe or profound hearing loss (Figure PREVALENCE 9).
Figure PREVALENCE 9: Severity of hearing loss among First Nations people aged 7 and over, by age, 2018–19
Column chart shows the proportion of First Nations people with more severe hearing loss generally increases with age.
| Age | One ear only | Mild | Moderate | Severe or profound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7–14 | 16.5 | 7.3 | 2.6 | 2.3 |
| 15–24 | 19.1 | 6.7 | 0.5 | 2.2 |
| 25–34 | 21.6 | 8.9 | 1.5 | 0.7 |
| 35–44 | 19.4 | 17.4 | 2.7 | 1.3 |
| 45–54 | 27.1 | 25.1 | 5.1 | 4.5 |
| 55 and over | 18.6 | 33.4 | 11.8 | 18 |
- Data for measured hearing loss were imputed for all participants who elected not to complete the hearing test.
- See Glossary for definitions of mild, moderate, severe and profound hearing loss.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2018–19.
A greater proportion of First Nations males (5.6%) had a severe or profound hearing loss than females (3.3%) (Figure PREVALENCE 10).
Figure PREVALENCE 10: Severity of hearing loss among First Nations people aged 7 and over, by sex, 2018–19
Column chart shows the proportion of First Nations people with more severe hearing loss tends to be higher among males than females.
| Hearing loss | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| One ear only | 19 | 20.8 |
| Mild | 14.2 | 15 |
| Moderate | 4 | 3.2 |
| Severe or profound | 5.6 | 3.3 |
- Data for measured hearing loss were imputed for all participants who elected not to complete the hearing test.
- See Glossary for definitions of mild, moderate, severe and profound hearing loss.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2018–19.
Remoteness
In 2018–19, around 26% of First Nations people in remote areas (Remote and Very Remote areas) had hearing loss in one ear only, compared with 19% of those in non-remote areas (Major Cities, Inner Regional areas and Outer Regional areas). Similarly, a greater proportion of First Nations people in remote areas had mild hearing loss (23%) than in non-remote areas (13%).
The proportions of First Nations people with moderate or severe/profound hearing loss were smaller, and relatively similar in remote and non-remote areas, ranging from 3.4% to 5.0% (Figure PREVALENCE 11).
Figure PREVALENCE 11: Severity of hearing loss among First Nations people aged 7 and over, by remoteness, 2018–19
Column chart shows levels of measured hearing loss especially mild hearing loss are higher among First Nations people in remote than non-remote areas.
| Hearing loss | Non-remote | Remote |
|---|---|---|
| One ear only | 18.6 | 26 |
| Mild | 12.7 | 23.3 |
| Moderate | 3.4 | 4.9 |
| Severe or profound | 4.3 | 5 |
1. ‘Remote’ includes Remote and very remote areas and ‘Non-remote’ includes Major cities, Inner regional and Outer regional areas.
2. Data for measured hearing loss were imputed for all participants who elected not to complete the hearing test.
3. See Glossary for definitions of mild, moderate, severe and profound hearing loss.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey 2018–19.
ABS 2018–19. National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey methodology. Appendix – hearing data. Canberra: ABS. Viewed 17 November 2024.