Apple introduced the ability to track your noise exposure on your Apple Watch in 2019. The company also released three clinical research studies next to this feature, including one to examine hearing health. Now, just over a year later, Apple is sharing some preliminary results in time for World Hearing Day.
For Apple’s hearing study, Apple partnered with the University of Michigan to analyze like daily exposure to sound can affect hearing over time. In a briefing, Dr. Rick Neitzel, from the University of Michigan, noted that the “thousands” of study participants offered your data and, in addition to regular questionnaires, he participated in regular hearing tests. The study also looked at noise exposure from headphones and was not necessarily limited to data collected from the Apple Watch. The exposure data from the headset, for example, can also be collected from the iPhone and iPad. That said, the researchers were able to obtain more detailed data from watch users, including environmental noise, heart rate, heart rate variability and exercise.
According to Neitzel, one intriguing takeaway since the first data is the one in five participants experienced some type of hearing loss, according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization, and that there seems to be a link between chronic environmental noise and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, almost 50% of participants currently work, or have previously worked, in a noisy workplace. Another surprising fact was that, despite the covid-19 blocks, many participants still had high exposure to environmental noise (although the general exposure to noise was cut almost in half) About 10% of the participants were also professionally diagnosed with hearing loss, but despite this diagnosis, 75% of them did not use assistance support, such as hearing aid or cochlear implant. Another 10% had average exposure to earphone sound exceeding the WHO weekly limits, and 20%% had daily exposure above the WHO daily limits. Another worrying finding was that 25% regularly experienced ringing in the ears that could be tinnitus a few times a week and that almost 50% had not had their hearing tested by a professional for at least a decade.
The findings are really impressive when you consider the scale and detailed data that wearables can report with just passive healthmonitoring. ONE big problem that can occur healthy research is that the findings may come from a limited sample that may not be indicative of the general population or have an inherent bias (ie there are not enough BIPOC issues, etc.) With wearables, you can actually conduct ongoing research with a lot, much larger share of the population. THE Apple Heart Study, for example, reached 400,000 participants in eight months, making it the largest study so far.
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On that front, Neitzel said that he believes that Apple attendees Hearing Study are generally accurate representative of the general population. He also noted that access to location data, for example, can help researchers look for more esoteric patterns. For example, researchers can now ask questions such as, “Is hearing loss worse in an area with more air pollution?”
Apple’s hearing study is still ongoing, and Neitzel noted there is still more to learn. In particular, Neitzel pointed out to understand how typical noise exposure and earphone listening patterns can impact future hearing health, including tinnitus, as well as further explore the relationship between hearing and cardiovascular health. In the meantime, however, it’s probably a good idea if we all just turn down the volume on our headphones.