Insight into hearing loss in children and adolescents

The Health Council advises the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport to better map noise-induced hearing loss in children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 18 years. The council sees several possibilities. For example, the Health Monitor Youth of the Municipal Health Services (GGD) could be expanded with questions about hearing, and a structural measurement programme with periodic samples could be set up. Also, the questionnaires could be used that Youth Healthcare (JGZ) uses for health check-ups at the end of primary school and in secondary school. The Health Council advises to incorporate the same questions on hearing and risky listening behaviour in all questionnaires, and to register and monitor the results nationally.

The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport asked the Health Council whether all children between 5 and 18 years should be offered a hearing test. According to the council, in order to set up such a national screening programme, more clarity should be obtained about the hearing tests to be used, and about the courses of action when hearing loss is detected. It is important that these courses of action have added value over the preventive measures that are considered to be important by everyone, such as lowering the volume and wearing hearing protection. This is because according to the council, prevention is the most important instrument in battling noise-induced hearing loss.