By <https://9to5mac.com/author/apollozac/> Zac Hall
Apple
launched
three research studies in September 2019 that use the iPhone and Apple Watch
to learn more about hearing health, women's cycle tracking, and movement's
effect on wellbeing. A year and a half later, Apple has published what it
describes as new insights gathered from the Apple Hearing Study.
The Research app allows
iPhone
and
Apple Watch
users to voluntarily participate in health studies from Apple and its
research partners. This dramatically lowers the barrier for entry for
participation.
In turn, results can be based on much larger samples of the population than
traditional studies.
The Apple Hearing Study is a partnership between Apple and the
University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Apple says data from the study is provided to the World Health
Organization's Make Listening Safe Initiative.
The first key insight from the Apple Hearing Study so far is that one in
four participants are exposed to higher than recommended environmental sound
levels:
block quote
The new insights generated leveraging this unprecedented data demonstrate
that 25 percent of participants experience a daily average environmental
sound
exposure (which can include traffic, machinery, public transport, and so on)
that is higher than the WHO recommended limit.
block quote end
The Research app on iPhone includes questions that help inform researchers
about overall hearing health. Based on that data, Apple learned that almost
half of participants work or have worked in loud environments.
block quote
Also, nearly 50 percent of participants now work, or have previously worked,
in a loud workplace. As noise exposure has shown an impact on hearing, it's
important to be aware of surroundings. Checking noise levels with the Noise
app on Apple Watch can be an effective way to be more aware of sound
exposure.
block quote end
Apple is also sourcing volume level data from headphones, including AirPods.
Based on this information from participants, the study has learned that 10%
of participants are exposed to higher than recommended headphone volume
levels.
block quote
Average weekly headphone exposure for one in 10 participants is higher than
the WHO recommended limit. While catchy tunes can be tempting, listeners
should
consider listening to music and other media at the lowest enjoyable volume.
block quote end
Other key insights realized from the Apple Health Study include these
numbers:
. 1 in 10 participants have been professionally diagnosed with hearing loss
. 75% of those professionally diagnosed with hearing loss do not use a
hearing aid or cochlear implant
. 1 in 5 participants experience hearing loss compared to World Health
Organization standards
. 1 in 4 participants experience a ringing in their ears a few times a week
or more
"Even during this pandemic, when many people are staying home, we're still
seeing 25 percent of our participants experiencing high environmental sound
exposures," according to Rick Neitzel, associate professor of environmental
health sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
"The results of this study can improve our understanding of potentially
harmful exposures, and help identify ways that people can proactively
protect their
hearing,"
Finally, Apple
<https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/03/apple-hearing-study-shares-new-insig
hts-on-hearing-health/> suggests a number of ways that people can positively
impact their hearing health and reduce noise exposure to avoid hearing loss
including this:
Access <https://www.apple.com/accessibility/hearing/> support for the Deaf
and Hard of Hearing community: Hearing accessibility on iOS includes several
features to support people who are profoundly deaf or hard of hearing, like
Sound Recognition; FaceTime, including sign language detection in Group
FaceTime; sensory alerts; and Type to Siri.
The Apple Hearing Study is available in the United States through the
<https://www.apple.com/ios/research-app/> Apple Research app for iPhone.
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