Real ear unaided response in Chinese young adults

People of Chinese ethnicity account for more than 20% of the world's population. A substantial number of hearing aid fittings occur in Chinese adults each year, often involving real ear insertion gain measures initially developed with Western populations. These measures may not be appropriate for non-Western persons. To determine the suitability of standard Western data, real ear unaided response (REUR) was measured for 40 Chinese young adults aged 20–32 years. Measurements were made with a speech-weighted composite signal generated from a 45° azimuth. The average maximum amplitude was 17.92 dB SPL (range: 12.25–22.55 dB), and the average peak resonant frequency was 3042 Hz (range: 2300–6700 Hz). Intra-tester test-retest reliability revealed mean differences of less than 0.2 dB in amplitude at each octave frequency from 250 Hz to 4000 Hz, and the average peak resonant frequency was within 13 Hz for two consecutive measurements. The intersubject variability of the peak resonant frequency of the REUR was large, with a standard deviation of greater than 700 Hz. Gender effects were not significant, with females having a REUR only slightly higher in maximum amplitude (18.41 dB SPL) and peak resonant frequency (3125 Hz) compared to males with 17.43 dB SPL and 2960 Hz, respectively. No significant intra-subject differences were found between the REUR measured in right and left ears. Correlations of average maximum amplitude and peak resonant frequency with height, weight and head circumference were not significant. Ear canal volume obtained from tympanometry revealed a significant negative correlation with peak resonant frequency. Overall, the average REUR values obtained in the present study of Chinese adults were very similar to adult data reported in Western studies. In clinical situations where it is necessary to use average RE UR values, standard existing Western adult data, such as thatprovided in KEMAR studies, should be appropriate for adult Chinese populations

Acoustics · Amplitude · Audiology · Audiometry · Ear canal · Hearing loss · Optics · Physics · Population · Standard deviation · Statistics · Tympanometry · Ear Surgery and Otitis Media · Hearing Loss and Rehabilitation · Hearing, Cochlea, Tinnitus, Genetics · Materials Science · Mathematics · Medicine