SINGAPORE: The average person in Singapore has the hearing of someone 15 years older than he or she actually is, according to the results of an international study that was published on Friday (Mar 3).
Men in Singapore were found to have an average hearing age 13.96 years older than they are. Women fared worse – the study pegged their average hearing age at 16.87 years more than their actual age.
The numbers are part of a report published by digital hearing app Mimi, and based on data from 200,000 people worldwide who took part in its hearing test.
Of the 50 cities surveyed, residents of Vienna were found to have the lowest average hearing loss, at 10.59 years older than their actual age.
Residents of Delhi had the highest average hearing loss, at 19.34 years older than their actual age.
The study also suggested a link between hearing loss and noise pollution in cities.
Researchers created a separate index for noise pollution, by combining information from the World Health Organization and Norway-based technology research group SINTEF.
They then combined the indices to rank the cities according to their combined hearing loss.
Cities least afflicted by noise pollution – including Zurich, Vienna, Oslo and Munich – registered the lowest levels of hearing loss.
The US city of Portland was the only non-European city in the top 10, and the highest-ranked Asian city was Tokyo, at number 13.
Singapore was ranked 31st out of the 50 cities surveyed – just behind cities like London, Dubai and Manchester, but ahead of Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Taipei.
High-decibel urban areas – such as Guangzhou, New Delhi, Cairo and Istanbul – topped the list of cities where hearing was most degraded, researchers reported.
This statistical link does not necessarily mean the constant din of city life is the main driver of hearing loss, which can also be caused by infections, genetic disorders, premature birth and even some medicines.
The findings are also preliminary and have yet to be submitted for peer-reviewed publication.
Cities mapped according to noise pollution and hearing loss indicators. (Chart: Mimi Hearing Technologies)
