Occurrence of Otitis Media and Hearing Loss Among First Nations Elementary School Children

This study investigated the occurrence of otitis media and hearing loss among First Nations children for different age groups. The study also explored whether the presence of otitis media and hearing loss persisted throughout the school year. The 48 participants were children of Mi'kmaq heritage from a First Nations elementary school in Nova Scotia. Children underwent pneumatic otoscopy, tympanometry, and pure tone audiometry on two separate occasions 6 months apart. Three age groups (3-5 years, 6-8 years, and 9-11 years) were compared. Consistent with previous research, results revealed that First Nations children suffer from high occurrence of otitis media and hearing loss. Indeed, middle ear pathology and hearing loss were found in more than 20% of the children. Otitis media with effusion was the most common type of middle ear pathology observed. Although the occurrence of hearing loss tended to decline with increasing age, the 6 to 11 year-old children continued to show an abnormally high occurrence of middle ear pathology and hearing loss, a trend contradictory to that found in the general population. In each age group, occurrences of otitis media and hearing loss were similar for the two evaluations conducted 6 months apart, suggesting that otitis media remains high throughout the school year. Half of the children found to have middle ear pathology in the first evaluation presented with the same pathology 6 months later. The importance of regular hearing screenings and proper audiological and medical follow-up in First Nations children is highlighted.