Unperceived hearing loss among Canadians aged 40 to 79

Summary

A national analysis shows a large gap between high-frequency hearing loss measured in a booth and self-reported hearing impairment, hearing aid ownership or a previous diagnosis.

Key findings

• Combines 2012-2013 and 2014-2015 Canadian Health Measures Survey cycles: 3,964 respondents aged 40-79 with valid results for both ears, representing 15.2 million people. Combined household and examination response rate was 52.7%.
• Defines measured loss as a pure-tone average greater than 25 dB in the worse ear over 3, 4, 6 and 8 kHz. By this high-frequency definition, 54% had at least mild loss.
• Among people with measured high-frequency hearing loss, 77% had unperceived loss: no self-reported hearing impairment, no hearing aid ownership and no previous diagnosis of a hearing problem.
• Unperceived loss was present in 93% of those with mild measured high-frequency loss and 65% with moderate-to-profound measured high-frequency loss.
• The Strengths and limitations section says the functional-hearing questions were not designed as a proxy for measured loss. The unperceived-loss group may include people aware of diminished hearing who report no difficulty, as well as people unaware of their loss.
• The authors describe the possibility that gradual changes go unnoticed as people and their communication partners adapt.

Limits

High-frequency hearing thresholds do not directly measure listening difficulty or benefit at a venue. The 77% denominator is people with measured loss, not all Canadians or all audience members. Excludes institutions, territories, reserves and certain other groups; people over 79 were outside the survey. Self-report depends on the questions asked; the unperceived-loss classification does not prove that every person in it is unaware of hearing loss.

Read the original

www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2019008/article/00002-eng.htm

Link checked 13 October 2026. We link to the original and do not host copies.

Cited in

• How many people in an audience are likely to need assistive listening?Partly answered

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