Speech audiometry in screening for hearing loss in schools: is the added value significant?

Abstract

Introduction: In Cameroon, the prevalence of hearing loss in schools was 31.1%. The aim of our study was to determine the value of speech audiometry in the screening for hearing loss in schools.

Methodology: This was a prospective, analytical study conducted from December 2024 to November 2025 at the Lycée Classique et Moderne de Sangmélima. A sample of 136 students across all seven grade levels was selected. Sociodemographic and audiometric data were analyzed using R Studio software version 4.3.1 with a significance level set at 0.05.

Results: The mean age of the students was 16 years ± 2.498, with ages ranging from 11 to 22 years. The sex ratio was 1.06. On pure-tone audiometry, thresholds were pathological in 76 participants, representing a prevalence of hearing loss of 55.88%. On speech audiometry, 68.02% of the ears tested (n=185) had a speech discrimination score below 90%. The association between mean pure-tone thresholds and speech discrimination scores was statistically significant (χ²=7.71; p <0.001) for all ears, with a moderate strength of association (V=0.255; 95% CI=0.139–0.363).

Conclusion: Speech audiometry detects 1.6 times more hearing impairments in schools than pure-tone audiometry. There was a statistically significant association between mean pure-tone thresholds and speech discrimination scores among participants, and the strength of this association was moderate to high.