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NEW POLL FINDS VIDEO GAMERS' RISK HEARING LOSS BUT ARE WILLING TO HAVE SAFE LISTENING FEATURES ON GAMEPLAY DEVICES ROCKVILLE, Md., July 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BACKGROUND: There is comparatively little information about the state of video gamers' hearing and their listening habits, as well as their interest in hearing protection. According to a new poll that is a collaboration of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); the World Health Organization (WHO)/Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); and the WHO Collaborating Center for Rehabilitation in Global Health Systems at the University of Lucerne, younger adults (ages 18 to 35) who play video games are regularly putting their hearing at risk, and some are already experiencing hearing difficulties. However, once informed of the potential for hearing loss, the majority of video gamers say they are likely to change their listening habits and are very receptive to proposed safe listening features for video game devices. Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here: SOME MORE KEY FINDINGS: More than three-quarters regularly engage in activities that can be detrimental to hearing, including 52% who use headphones for long periods or at loud volumes. Over one-third of video gamers report hearing difficulties. Among that group, one quarter feel their video gaming habits have contributed to their hearing issues. Less than a third of video gamers overall feel they are at risk of hearing loss from playing video games. More than two-thirds say they are likely to change their habits after being informed about the potential for hearing loss from unsafe listening habits while video gaming. The features proposed by WHO to make listening safer are generally well received, with the majority reporting they would be likely to use them and few believing there would be a negative impact on their gaming experience. Lindsay S. Creed, AuD, CCC-A, Associate Director of Audiology Practices at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) discusses more results of this poll and how it could lead to new WHO safe listening guidelines. She also shares some quick and easy tips on how gamers can proactively protect their hearing. For more information, please visit MORE ABOUT LINDSAY S. CREED: Lindsay S. Creed, AuD, CCC-A is an Associate Director of Audiology Practices at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Her work interests include over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid policy and service delivery models, auditory rehabilitation, pediatric & educational audiology, and hearing conservation. She completed her Doctor of Audiology degree at Towson University and her Bachelor of Arts in Hearing and Speech Sciences at the University of Maryland-College Park. Prior to joining ASHA, she worked at an Ear, Nose, & Throat practice in Baltimore, MD, where she specialized in pediatric assessment and hearing aids. MEDIA CONTACT: Joseph Cerquone, Senior Director of Public Relations, [email protected] SOURCE American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

Video Gamers Believe That Hearing Loss Would Significantly Reduce Their Quality of LifePoll Results Will Inform Development of New Global Safety Standard ROCKVILLE, Md., July 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 75% of video gamers in the United States, Japan, and Brazil say they regularly engage in activities that can be detrimental to their hearing, according to a poll that is a collaboration of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); the World Health Organization (WHO)/Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); and the WHO Collaborating Center for Rehabilitation in Global Health Systems at the University of Lucerne. Continue Reading Many video gamers engage in habits that could damage their hearing. Post this The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the World Health Organization recently polled video gamers ages 18-35 years in three countries. Overall, video gamers spend an average of 15 hours playing per week. Many engage in habits that could damage their hearing, both during gameplay and while participating in other activities. Specifically, 43% use headphones for long periods of time, and nearly 30% do so at loud volumes. Other activities that put them at risk for hearing loss from excessive noise exposure include spending time around loud music; attending concerts, sporting events, and other large gatherings; and working in noisy environments. Commissioned by ASHA and conducted by YouGov in April, respondents included nearly 1,700 video gamers ages 18–35. This report covers the poll findings and compares them by country. According to video gameplay industry sources, about two-thirds of the U.S. population plays video games. In Japan, nearly 60% of the population does; in Brazil, about 50%. Hearing Health Among Video Gamers Just over one third of the polled participants said they have hearing difficulties. The leading problems are having trouble hearing in loud environments, and experiencing ringing, buzzing, or hissing in the ears (called tinnitus). Of this group, 25% feel that their video gameplay habits contribute to their problems hearing. Additionally, most video gamers said their hearing is excellent (65%), and nearly half don't think they risk their hearing when they play (47%). However, a recent WHO study concluded that hundreds of millions of video gamers globally are at potential risk of hearing damage—a finding that prompted the global health agency to call for implementing safe listening features and guidelines in video gaming and esport devices. Most video gamers polled (68%) said they would likely change their listening habits once informed of the potential risks of video gameplay. Cautionary and promising is how ASHA President Tena McNamara, AuD, CCC-A/SLP, described the poll results. "Many people tend to minimize risks to their hearing and their hearing difficulties," McNamara said. "Their hearing may seem fine to them, but that can be deceiving because hearing loss often develops gradually until it becomes a significant problem. If you are exposed regularly to loud sounds and are not adequately protected, hearing loss is likely." McNamara encouraged people who play video games regularly to get comprehensive hearing evaluations from an audiologist or other hearing specialist in their country. By a wide margin, video gamers indicated that they would be most likely to take hearing protection advice from such specialists. McNamara also noted: "It bodes well that most gamers (85%) said they take hearing protection steps and are open to having safe listening features and guidance on video gameplay devices." Safe Listening Features Among the poll questions were ones meant to assess video gamers' receptivity to various safety features. Most of the gamers reported that they were willing to use any of the proposed features, although some differences emerged among the countries involved. Some of the features raised in the poll included: Volume Channel Controls: These controls provide players with the ability to adjust volume levels of various soundtrack items, including master game volume level, game dialogue level, sound effects level, music level, and voice chat level. This was one of the top safety choices among gamers overall: 86% said they were very or somewhat likely to use them. Smart Listening Mode: This simplified mode, when selected, would enable sub-features designed to optimize listening safety. This was another top feature, with 79% of all gamers indicating they would be likely to use it. Tinnitus Sound Removal: This feature would remove in-game sounds that simulate a ringing or buzzing sound associated with hearing damage. Overall, 78% of gamers said they would likely use this feature. Headphone Safety Mode: This mode would automatically reduce the volume to improve safety when using headphones (either in-the-ear or over-the-ear products). Across countries, 77% of video gamers said they would be willing to use this mode. The poll asked for an ideal time for displaying warning messages about the risk of hearing damage that wouldn't significantly disrupt gameplay immersion. Thirty eight percent of the players polled said that the ideal time for warning messages would be when a game is loaded, followed by when a game is paused or when there is a reasonable break (i.e., between rounds). "We thank the video gamers for their poll participation," said Dr. Shelly Chadha, Technical Lead for Ear and Hearing Care at WHO. "They provided information that will help inform our development of safe listening measures for video gaming." Chadha said WHO is on track to produce a global safe listening standard for video gameplay within 1 year. Further Information ASHA public page: WHO Make Listening Safe Campaign: Polling Methodology All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,678 gamers ages 18–35 in the United States (n = 506), Brazil (n = 524) and Japan (n = 648). Fieldwork was undertaken April 1–15, 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of gamers ages 18–35. Each country was weighted to represent one third of the total. About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 234,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology assistants; and students. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) identify, assess, and treat speech, language, and swallowing disorders. WHO Make Listening Safe Campaign The World Health Organization's (WHO) Make Listening Safe initiative, launched in 2015, addresses the global risk of incurring hearing damage from unsafe recreational listening. The initiative focuses on creating evidence-based standards, raising awareness, and investing in research to ensure that everyone can enjoy audio without endangering their hearing. About YouGov YouGov is a global provider of analysis and data generated by research in more than 40 markets. As online market research pioneers, YouGov's data consistently outperform others on accuracy, as concluded by Pew Research. YouGov's custom research specialists conduct a full spectrum of quantitative and qualitative research, providing comprehensive market intelligence to the world's leading businesses and institutions. CONTACT: Joseph Cerquone 703-973-7744 [email protected] SOURCE American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

Influenza, as seen above under the microscope, and COVID-19 do not pose the same threat to patients, according to a new study out of Switzerland. The omicron sub-subvariant B.1.1.529 proved to be much more lethal. Individuals admitted to hospitals with COVID-19 infection died 1.5 times more than those admitted with influenza, according to Swiss researchers. University of Lucerne researchers examined a national database, extracting information about 3,066 COVID-19 patients admitted to a hospital from January 15 to March 15, 2022. They compared them to patients admitted for influenza A and B from January 1, 2018, to March 15, 2022. It was an older population and roughly 80% had comorbidities, but fewer COVID patients (13.1%) had respiratory comorbidities than flu patients (24.6%). “Our results demonstrate that COVID-19 still cannot simply be compared with influenza,” said the study in JAMA Network Open. Of the COVID patients, 59.1% had gotten at least one dose of vaccine, while 25.3% had gotten three doses. For those with flu, 96.2% had type A, while only 3.8% had type B. The data come from patients hospitalized primarily for omicron or flu, and researchers found not only a difference in mortality rates but also a higher risk for patients admitted to the ICU with COVID-19. The authors argued that they may have underestimated the severity of omicron outcomes because of more stringent admission screening for COVID as opposed to influenza. "The question of why these severely ill patients were not admitted to the ICU should be further evaluated. Therefore, our study may underestimate the need for ICU treatment in patients with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant," the researchers wrote. One of the study’s limitations is that COVID-19 data were gathered at a time when 95% of all COVID cases in Switzerland were caused by the omicron variant B.1.1.529. The gap between the submission of a study to a peer-reviewed journal to its publication poses the possibility that by the time the data are disseminated they might not be totally germane to the present situation, which is one of the reasons preprint studies came to be heavily relied upon during the pandemic. In the U.S., for instance, the current dominant omicron variant remains XBB 1.5. In Switzerland, the dominant variant is BA.5. The results come at a time when the U.S. healthcare system has had to battle both respiratory diseases. Influenza in the U.S. has declined precipitously since the end of December, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And incidents of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that swamped pediatric hospitals and wards in the U.S. last fall have also decreased steeply. There appear promising signs regarding COVID-19, as well. According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, there were 34,247 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 reported yesterday and 316 deaths. However, experts have warned that one thing that’s predictable about COVID-19 remains its unpredictability. On Feb. 7, Johns Hopkins reported 44,683 new cases of COVID-19 and 552 deaths. The JAMA Network Open study concluded that “COVID-19 due to the Omicron variant was associated with a higher risk of in-hospital mortality compared with patients with influenza. This indicates that the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant should still be taken seriously, and improved prevention and treatment strategies are still highly relevant, although overburdening of the health care system has become less likely over time.”