Audiological profile of deaf and hard-of-hearing children under six years old in the "HI HOPES cohort" in South Africa (2006-2011).

Background: This study concerns deaf children under six years in the South African HI HOPES Cohort.

Objective: To examine their audiological profile, aetiological risk factors for infant hearing loss as well as the relationship between identification, amplification and socio-economic influences.

Design: Using a cohort design, secondary data analysis of a pre-existing dataset demonstrated adequate representation of South African demographic characteristics.

Study Sample: A total of 532 deaf and hard-of-hearing infants enrolled in the HI HOPES early intervention programme in three provinces (2006-2011).

Results: The median age of identification of children with bilateral hearing loss ( = 502) was 24.0 months (IQR = 12-36 months). Infants with aetiological risk factors were identified later than those without risk factors, and the latest age of identification (28.5 months) was for those with three aetiological risk factors ( = 42). The median age of amplification was 32 months with 102 children eligible for amplification at 31.1 months still unamplified. Early identification did not imply early amplification, and the more economically advantaged a Province the smaller the gap between ages of identification and amplification.

Conclusions: In a field with little population-level evidence, the size, and representativeness of this dataset makes a significant contribution to our understanding of infant hearing loss in South Africa.