Prevalence of tinnitus and hyperacusis in 9–12-year-old children

Objectives To estimate the prevalence of tinnitus and hyperacusis in children aged 9–12 years in Flanders, as well as to explore the associations with hearing abilities and listening behaviours. Design A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in four different Flemish schools. The questionnaire was distributed among 415 children, with a response rate of 97.3%. Results The prevalence of permanent tinnitus was 10.5% and of hyperacusis was 3.3%. The hyperacusis prevalence was higher in girls ( p < .05). Some children reported effects of tinnitus in terms of anxiety (20.1%), sleep (36.5%), and concentration (24.8%). When listening to personal listening devices, 33.5% of the children reported to listen for at least 1 h at 60% or higher of the volume range. Moreover, 54.9% of children stated to never wear hearing protection. Conclusions Tinnitus and hyperacusis are prevalent in children aged 9–12 years. Some of these children might be overlooked and, as such, not receiving the required follow-up or counselling. Development of guidelines for the assessment of these auditory symptoms in children would help to determine the prevalence numbers with greater accuracy. Sensibility campaigns for safe listening are warranted, as more than half of the children never use hearing protection.