Effects of Environmental Noise on School Performance among Hearing-Impaired Students

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Our study examined the effect of ambient noise on hearing and school performance in children with hearing loss, and the relationship between hearing loss and cognition. Method: A pilot study involving 728 people (aged 11 to 16 years) was conducted in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. All participants completed the ENAFEP test, the SIFTER short scale, pure tone audiometry, and a three-digit test. Teachers and investigators completed a 6-day listening training course. Results: Correlation and structural equation modeling indicated that ambient noise and five cognitive domains were associated with hearing in noise, but only unmeasured cognition was associated with hearing loss and poor academic performance. Cognitive compensation significantly reduces communication problems and improves concentration and academic performance. Noise and deafness had significant and moderate effects on academic performance (r = −0.13). Conclusion: The sample size and relatively high participation rate meant the study was representative. However, the results showed an association between ambient noise, hearing loss and cognition, and reduced school performance. Large-scale randomized interventions for hearing loss and long-term noise exposure studies are needed to measure cognitive outcomes after short- and multi-year noise exposure.