Hearing Health Programs for Schoolchildren

Hearing is fundamental for the development of language. When hearing loss (HL) is present, problems in communicative processes may occur, hindering global cognitive development, learning and interpersonal relationships, thus harming school development and, consequently, the professional performance of the affected population [1-3]. For the World Health Organization (WHO) [4], hearing impairment may bring about social and economic overburden to individuals, family members and society, that is why prevention is essential. Still according to the WHO [5], about 10% of the population in any countries has some kind of disability, and hearing impairment takes up 1.5% of that. For the Global Burden of Disease (2005) [6], 278 million individuals around the globe suffer from some kind of moderate to severe hearing impairment in both ears. From that population, 80% live in developing countries, and about 50% of the observed hearing impairments can be avoided by prevention, early diagnosis and treatment. In Brazil, for example, studies show rates of hearing loss among students of up to 39.4% in some cities [7]. In view of such high rates in several Brazilian regions, Hearing Health Programs for Schoolchildren must be implemented as an integrating part of the primary health care.