Focus on People Awards Opens for Nominations

Oticon, Inc. is seeking nominations of outstanding individuals with any degree of hearing loss for the 2018 Oticon Focus on People Awards.  For 20 years, the Oticon Focus on People Awards have set the gold standard for recognizing the achievements and contributions of people with hearing loss.  Established in 1997, the national awards program honors students, adults, advocacy volunteers and hearing care professionals who show that hearing loss does not limit a person's ability to make a positive difference. 

"For more than 20 years, the Oticon Focus on People Awards has created the kind of awareness that changes attitudes and opens doors of opportunity for all people with hearing loss," said Nancy Palmere, Director of Consumer Marketing and Public Relations for Oticon, Inc., who heads the national program.  "Our approach is simple. By drawing national attention to everyday people doing amazing things, who also happened to have hearing loss, we aim to change negative perceptions of hearing loss and encourage those reluctant to address their own hearing health to seek professional care."

Easy to Nominate

Anyone may nominate.  Quick and easy nominations forms, available at www.Oticon.com/FOP, can be downloaded or completed online. People with all degrees of hearing loss – from mild to more severe - are eligible. There is also a special category for hearing care practitioners with or without hearing loss. Deadline for nominations is May 18, 2018.

Four Categories with Three Winners in Each

Categories include: Student, for full-time students with hearing loss, ages 6 – 25; Adult, for people with hearing loss, ages 21 and above; and Advocacy, for volunteers with hearing loss, who are actively involved in support efforts for the hard-of-hearing and deaf community. A special Practitioner category recognizes hearing care professionals who go "above and beyond" through humanitarian and public education efforts. Nominees in the Practitioner category are not required to have a hearing loss to qualify.

First place winners receive a $1,000 cash prize and a $1,000 donation to the charity of their choice.  First place winners in the Student, Adult and Advocacy categories also receive Oticon BrainHearing™ hearing devices.  Second place winners receive a $500 cash prize and third place winners, a $250 cash prize.

Following the close of nominations, the general public will be invited to vote online to determine first, second and third place winners in each category. 

Published: 4/3/2018 12:12:00 PM

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Focus on People Awards Opens for Nominations

Oticon, Inc. is seeking nominations of outstanding individuals with any degree of hearing loss for the 2018 Oticon Focus on People Awards.  For 20 years, the Oticon Focus on People Awards have set the gold standard for recognizing the achievements and contributions of people with hearing loss.  Established in 1997, the national awards program honors students, adults, advocacy volunteers and hearing care professionals who show that hearing loss does not limit a person's ability to make a positive difference. 

"For more than 20 years, the Oticon Focus on People Awards has created the kind of awareness that changes attitudes and opens doors of opportunity for all people with hearing loss," said Nancy Palmere, Director of Consumer Marketing and Public Relations for Oticon, Inc., who heads the national program.  "Our approach is simple. By drawing national attention to everyday people doing amazing things, who also happened to have hearing loss, we aim to change negative perceptions of hearing loss and encourage those reluctant to address their own hearing health to seek professional care."

Easy to Nominate

Anyone may nominate.  Quick and easy nominations forms, available at www.Oticon.com/FOP, can be downloaded or completed online. People with all degrees of hearing loss – from mild to more severe - are eligible. There is also a special category for hearing care practitioners with or without hearing loss. Deadline for nominations is May 18, 2018.

Four Categories with Three Winners in Each

Categories include: Student, for full-time students with hearing loss, ages 6 – 25; Adult, for people with hearing loss, ages 21 and above; and Advocacy, for volunteers with hearing loss, who are actively involved in support efforts for the hard-of-hearing and deaf community. A special Practitioner category recognizes hearing care professionals who go "above and beyond" through humanitarian and public education efforts. Nominees in the Practitioner category are not required to have a hearing loss to qualify.

First place winners receive a $1,000 cash prize and a $1,000 donation to the charity of their choice.  First place winners in the Student, Adult and Advocacy categories also receive Oticon BrainHearing™ hearing devices.  Second place winners receive a $500 cash prize and third place winners, a $250 cash prize.

Following the close of nominations, the general public will be invited to vote online to determine first, second and third place winners in each category. 

Published: 4/3/2018 12:12:00 PM

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Focus on People Awards Opens for Nominations

Oticon, Inc. is seeking nominations of outstanding individuals with any degree of hearing loss for the 2018 Oticon Focus on People Awards.  For 20 years, the Oticon Focus on People Awards have set the gold standard for recognizing the achievements and contributions of people with hearing loss.  Established in 1997, the national awards program honors students, adults, advocacy volunteers and hearing care professionals who show that hearing loss does not limit a person's ability to make a positive difference. 

"For more than 20 years, the Oticon Focus on People Awards has created the kind of awareness that changes attitudes and opens doors of opportunity for all people with hearing loss," said Nancy Palmere, Director of Consumer Marketing and Public Relations for Oticon, Inc., who heads the national program.  "Our approach is simple. By drawing national attention to everyday people doing amazing things, who also happened to have hearing loss, we aim to change negative perceptions of hearing loss and encourage those reluctant to address their own hearing health to seek professional care."

Easy to Nominate

Anyone may nominate.  Quick and easy nominations forms, available at www.Oticon.com/FOP, can be downloaded or completed online. People with all degrees of hearing loss – from mild to more severe - are eligible. There is also a special category for hearing care practitioners with or without hearing loss. Deadline for nominations is May 18, 2018.

Four Categories with Three Winners in Each

Categories include: Student, for full-time students with hearing loss, ages 6 – 25; Adult, for people with hearing loss, ages 21 and above; and Advocacy, for volunteers with hearing loss, who are actively involved in support efforts for the hard-of-hearing and deaf community. A special Practitioner category recognizes hearing care professionals who go "above and beyond" through humanitarian and public education efforts. Nominees in the Practitioner category are not required to have a hearing loss to qualify.

First place winners receive a $1,000 cash prize and a $1,000 donation to the charity of their choice.  First place winners in the Student, Adult and Advocacy categories also receive Oticon BrainHearing™ hearing devices.  Second place winners receive a $500 cash prize and third place winners, a $250 cash prize.

Following the close of nominations, the general public will be invited to vote online to determine first, second and third place winners in each category. 

Published: 4/3/2018 12:12:00 PM

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Smoking Increases Risk of Hearing Loss

​Smokers are at a higher risk of developing hearing loss, concludes a recently published research.

In an observational study using data from the yearly health checkups of 50,195 adults with no hearing loss at baseline, researchers found a solid evidence that links smoking with increased risk of hearing loss, especially high-frequency hearing loss. The study also reports that the excess risk disappears shortly after study participants quit smoking.
 
“Hearing loss is common in the adult population,” said Huanhuan Hu, PhD, lead author of the study. “Identifying modifiable risk factors is important for hearing health care.”
 
“Smoking has been associated with prevalent hearing loss in cross-sectional studies. However, few prospective cohort studies have examined the association between smoking and hearing loss, and their findings conflict,” Hu told The Hearing Journal. “Our J-ECOH Study has high quality data on hearing and smoking. Thus, we examined the association between smoking and hearing loss.”
 
During the follow-up sessions, which were conducted to a maximum of eight years, high-frequency hearing loss was seen in 3,532 participants and low-frequency hearing loss in 1,575. Researchers found that the risk of high- and low-frequency hearing loss increased with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Smoking cessation led to decline in hearing loss risk, even among those who stopped smoking less than five years before baseline.
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns the public that cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United states, responsible for more than one in five deaths every year. CDC also reports that in 2016, approximately 37.8 million adults  in the country are cigarette smokers and more than 16 million have smoking-related disease.
 
The study by Hu and his colleagues at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Japan contributes to the evidence that smoking causes preventable diseases.
 
“Our study provides reliable evidence that smoking may cause hearing loss and the excess risk can be eliminated through quitting smoking,” Hu explained. “Smoking will be more widely acknowledged as a risk factor for hearing loss. In addition, these findings can motivate smokers to quit smoking.” 

Published: 4/2/2018 5:32:00 PM

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via IFTTT

Smoking Increases Risk of Hearing Loss

​Smokers are at a higher risk of developing hearing loss, concludes a recently published research.

In an observational study using data from the yearly health checkups of 50,195 adults with no hearing loss at baseline, researchers found a solid evidence that links smoking with increased risk of hearing loss, especially high-frequency hearing loss. The study also reports that the excess risk disappears shortly after study participants quit smoking.
 
“Hearing loss is common in the adult population,” said Huanhuan Hu, PhD, lead author of the study. “Identifying modifiable risk factors is important for hearing health care.”
 
“Smoking has been associated with prevalent hearing loss in cross-sectional studies. However, few prospective cohort studies have examined the association between smoking and hearing loss, and their findings conflict,” Hu told The Hearing Journal. “Our J-ECOH Study has high quality data on hearing and smoking. Thus, we examined the association between smoking and hearing loss.”
 
During the follow-up sessions, which were conducted to a maximum of eight years, high-frequency hearing loss was seen in 3,532 participants and low-frequency hearing loss in 1,575. Researchers found that the risk of high- and low-frequency hearing loss increased with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Smoking cessation led to decline in hearing loss risk, even among those who stopped smoking less than five years before baseline.
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns the public that cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United states, responsible for more than one in five deaths every year. CDC also reports that in 2016, approximately 37.8 million adults  in the country are cigarette smokers and more than 16 million have smoking-related disease.
 
The study by Hu and his colleagues at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Japan contributes to the evidence that smoking causes preventable diseases.
 
“Our study provides reliable evidence that smoking may cause hearing loss and the excess risk can be eliminated through quitting smoking,” Hu explained. “Smoking will be more widely acknowledged as a risk factor for hearing loss. In addition, these findings can motivate smokers to quit smoking.” 

Published: 4/2/2018 5:32:00 PM

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via IFTTT

Smoking Increases Risk of Hearing Loss

​Smokers are at a higher risk of developing hearing loss, concludes a recently published research.

In an observational study using data from the yearly health checkups of 50,195 adults with no hearing loss at baseline, researchers found a solid evidence that links smoking with increased risk of hearing loss, especially high-frequency hearing loss. The study also reports that the excess risk disappears shortly after study participants quit smoking.
 
“Hearing loss is common in the adult population,” said Huanhuan Hu, PhD, lead author of the study. “Identifying modifiable risk factors is important for hearing health care.”
 
“Smoking has been associated with prevalent hearing loss in cross-sectional studies. However, few prospective cohort studies have examined the association between smoking and hearing loss, and their findings conflict,” Hu told The Hearing Journal. “Our J-ECOH Study has high quality data on hearing and smoking. Thus, we examined the association between smoking and hearing loss.”
 
During the follow-up sessions, which were conducted to a maximum of eight years, high-frequency hearing loss was seen in 3,532 participants and low-frequency hearing loss in 1,575. Researchers found that the risk of high- and low-frequency hearing loss increased with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Smoking cessation led to decline in hearing loss risk, even among those who stopped smoking less than five years before baseline.
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns the public that cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United states, responsible for more than one in five deaths every year. CDC also reports that in 2016, approximately 37.8 million adults  in the country are cigarette smokers and more than 16 million have smoking-related disease.
 
The study by Hu and his colleagues at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Japan contributes to the evidence that smoking causes preventable diseases.
 
“Our study provides reliable evidence that smoking may cause hearing loss and the excess risk can be eliminated through quitting smoking,” Hu explained. “Smoking will be more widely acknowledged as a risk factor for hearing loss. In addition, these findings can motivate smokers to quit smoking.” 

Published: 4/2/2018 5:32:00 PM

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Explaining Discrepancies Between the Digit Triplet Speech-in-Noise Test Score and Self-Reported Hearing Problems in Older Adults

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to determine which demographic, health-related, mood, personality, or social factors predict discrepancies between older adults' functional speech-in-noise test result and their self-reported hearing problems.

Method

Data of 1,061 respondents from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam were used (ages ranged from 57 to 95 years). Functional hearing problems were measured using a digit triplet speech-in-noise test. Five questions were used to assess self-reported hearing problems. Scores of both hearing measures were dichotomized. Two discrepancy outcomes were created: (a) being unaware: those with functional but without self-reported problems (reference is aware: those with functional and self-reported problems); (b) reporting false complaints: those without functional but with self-reported problems (reference is well: those without functional and self-reported hearing problems). Two multivariable prediction models (logistic regression) were built with 19 candidate predictors. The speech reception threshold in noise was kept (forced) as a predictor in both models.

Results

Persons with higher self-efficacy (to initiate behavior) and higher self-esteem had a higher odds to being unaware than persons with lower self-efficacy scores (odds ratio [OR] = 1.13 and 1.11, respectively). Women had a higher odds than men (OR = 1.47). Persons with more chronic diseases and persons with worse (i.e., higher) speech-in-noise reception thresholds in noise had a lower odds to being unaware (OR = 0.85 and 0.91, respectively) than persons with less diseases and better thresholds, respectively. A higher odds to reporting false complaints was predicted by more depressive symptoms (OR = 1.06), more chronic diseases (OR = 1.21), and a larger social network (OR = 1.02). Persons with higher self-efficacy (to complete behavior) had a lower odds (OR = 0.86), whereas persons with higher self-esteem had a higher odds to report false complaints (OR = 1.21). The explained variance of both prediction models was small (Nagelkerke R ² = .11 for the unaware model, and .10 for the false complaints model).

Conclusions

The findings suggest that a small proportion of the discrepancies between older individuals' results on a speech-in-noise screening test and their self-reports of hearing problems can be explained by the unique context of these individuals. The likelihood of discrepancies partly depends on a person's health (chronic diseases), demographics (gender), personality (self-efficacy to initiate behavior and to persist in adversity, self-esteem), mood (depressive symptoms), and social situation (social network size). Implications are discussed.

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