Several methods have been employed for assessing hearing aid use, benefit, and satisfaction, however, none of these predict hearing aid outcome with confidence. The long term aim of the proposed study is to develop an objective clinical test for predicting hearing aid use. The test is based on the accepted level of background noise when listening to speech delivered at the most comfortable level. The accepted noise level (ANL) is defined as the difference between the level of speech and the level of the background noise that a person is willing to accept when listening to speech without becoming tense and tired while following the words of the story. The ANL should not be convised with speech to noise ratio (S/N) used in speech perception testing. The ANL has been investigated in four preliminary studies with small groups of subjects. The results indicated that the ANL is reliable and stable over a 3-week period and differentiates subjects who wear hearing aids full time from subjects who seldom wear their hearing aids or who reject their hearing aids. The full-time hearing aid users are able to accept significantly higher background noise levels than the other subjects. In the proposed study, a Power Analysis specified cohort of 216 individuals with hearing impairment will be tested.
The specific aims are to compare the ANL with traditionally used measures of hearing aid outcome including speech perception in noise and subjective benefit judgments and to determine for the ANL: (1) the ability to predict hearing aid use, (2) dependence upon conditions with and without hearing aids and amplification circuit type, (3) effect of 3-month experience with hearing aids, and (4) dependence upon subjects' gender, age, audiometric sensitivity, and audiometric slope. If the results obtained are consistent with the preliminary findings, the ANL data should predict the actual hearing aid use and help explain the enigma of hearing aid non-compliance in adults with hearing impairment. The prediction of hearing aid use will permit realistic counseling, reduction of false expectations, and possible therapeutic paradigms aimed at increasing acceptance of background noise.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DC005018-03
Application #
6657977
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-IFCN-6 (01))
Program Officer
Luethke, Lynn E
Project Start
2001-09-10
Project End
2005-08-31
Budget Start
2003-09-01
Budget End
2005-08-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$206,625
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Tennessee Knoxville
Department
Other Health Professions
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
003387891
City
Knoxville
State
TN
Country
United States
Zip Code
37996
Freyaldenhoven, Melinda C; Nabelek, Anna K; Tampas, Joanna W (2008) Relationship between acceptable noise level and the abbreviated profile of hearing aid benefit. J Speech Lang Hear Res 51:136-46
Nabelek, Anna K; Freyaldenhoven, Melinda C; Tampas, Joanna W et al. (2006) Acceptable noise level as a predictor of hearing aid use. J Am Acad Audiol 17:626-39
Freyaldenhoven, Melinda C; Plyler, Patrick N; Thelin, James W et al. (2006) Acceptance of noise with monaural and binaural amplification. J Am Acad Audiol 17:659-66
Freyaldenhoven, Melinda C; Nabelek, Anna K; Burchfield, Samuel B et al. (2005) Acceptable noise level as a measure of directional hearing aid benefit. J Am Acad Audiol 16:228-36
Nabelek, Anna K; Tampas, Joanna W; Burchfield, Samuel B (2004) Comparison of speech perception in background noise with acceptance of background noise in aided and unaided conditions. J Speech Lang Hear Res 47:1001-11
Rogers, Deanna S; Harkrider, Ashley W; Burchfield, Samuel B et al. (2003) The influence of listener's gender on the acceptance of background noise. J Am Acad Audiol 14:372-82; quiz 401