Apple today shared key insights from its Apple Hearing Study to encourage others to better understand and manage their hearing health. The data comes from thousands of participants across the United States.
For example, Apple said 25 percent of participants experience a daily average environmental sound exposure like traffic, machinery, or public transportation that is higher than the WHO's recommended limit. In addition, Apple said nearly 50 percent of participants in the study now work, or have previously worked, in a loud workplace.
Other insights shared by Apple:
- Average weekly headphone exposure for one in 10 participants is higher than the WHO's recommended limit.
- About 10 percent of participants have been diagnosed with hearing loss by a professional. Of these, 75 percent do not use assistive support such as a hearing aid or cochlear implant.
- 20 percent of participants have hearing loss when compared to WHO standards, and 10 percent have hearing loss that is consistent with noise exposure.
- Nearly 50 percent of participants haven't had their hearing tested by a professional in at least 10 years.
- 25 percent of participants experience ringing in their ears a few times a week or more, which could be a sign of hearing damage.
Apple explains how its products can help protect a person's hearing. With the Noise app on the Apple Watch, for example, users can enable notifications that alert when environmental noise levels might affect their hearing health.
Apple is sharing these findings just ahead of World Hearing Day on March 3, which aims to address hearing loss and related issues. By 2050, the WHO estimates more than 700 million people globally will experience profound hearing loss, according to Apple.
The Apple Hearing Study, available through Apple's Research app, is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and data is being shared with the WHO's Make Listening Safe initiative.
