Childhood hearing loss in sub-Saharan Africa: a review and recommendations.
Nearly 10% of the world's population lives in sub-Saharan Africa, a region comprised of many countries with least developed nation status. The region has a predominantly young population and many children in the region are at risk of pathologies associated with hearing loss. Despite the constraints associated with low socioeconomic levels, a number of valuable studies have been carried out into the prevalence and etiology of childhood hearing loss in the sub-Saharan region. A review of the published literature related to childhood hearing loss in sub-Saharan Africa is presented and recommendations made on possible future research directions that could assist hearing loss prevention and management.
McPherson
B
B
Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Swart
S M
SM
D000293:Adolescent; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000453:epidemiology; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003625:Data Collection; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors