{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T14:13:42Z","timestamp":1790864022678,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,1]],"date-time":"2022-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1640995200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Harry Oppenheimer"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["DIGITAL HEALTH"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The objective of this study was to examine the uptake, user characteristics, and performance of the free WHO smartphone hearing screening test ( hearWHO) as a global hearing health promotion initiative.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Method<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We retrospectively examined the data of 242 626 tests conducted by adults (&gt; 18 years) on the hearWHO app between February 2019 and May 2021. Test uptake was evaluated by country, WHO world region, test date, and demographics of age and gender.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The hearWHO test was completed in nearly every country globally ( n\u2009=\u2009179\/195), with the greatest uptake seen in China and India. Uptake was greatest in the Western Pacific (32.9%) and European (24.8%) WHO regions. There was a high uptake of tests (44%) by young adults under the age of 30 years. Referral rates were typically higher for older age groups in most WHO regions, except for the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions, where overall hearWHO test uptake was lowest. Most testing (49%) took place in March (2019\u20132021) coinciding with World Hearing Day (3rd of March) each year.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Digital mhealth tools provide many benefits in healthcare, including health promotion, access to information, and services for hearing loss. The hearWHO test was mainly reaching younger adults, positioning it as an important measure for public health advocacy to prevent hearing loss. Since hearing loss is primarily age related, more targeted campaigns or community-based initiatives should be directed toward older adults.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/20552076221113204","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,13]],"date-time":"2022-09-13T10:30:33Z","timestamp":1663065033000},"page":"205520762211132","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":39,"title":["Global use and outcomes of the hearWHO mHealth hearing test"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"8","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1742-1613","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Karina C","family":"De Sousa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa"},{"name":"Virtual Hearing Lab, Collaborative initiative between the University of Colorado and the University of Pretoria, Aurora, Colorado, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cas","family":"Smits","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ear and Hearing, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"David R","family":"Moore","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Communication Sciences Research Center, Cincinnati Childrens\u2019 Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA"},{"name":"Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shelly","family":"Chada","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Noncommunicable Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Herman","family":"Myburgh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"De Wet","family":"Swanepoel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa"},{"name":"Virtual Hearing Lab, Collaborative initiative between the University of Colorado and the University of Pretoria, Aurora, Colorado, USA"},{"name":"Ear Sciences Centre, School of Surgery, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-20552076221113204","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(17)32410-8"},{"key":"bibr2-20552076221113204","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0194599813518021"},{"key":"bibr3-20552076221113204","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S0022215120001012"},{"key":"bibr4-20552076221113204","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(17)31363-6"},{"key":"bibr5-20552076221113204","unstructured":"World Health Organization [WHO]. World Report on Hearing, https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/world-report-on-hearing (2021, accessed 1 September 2021)."},{"key":"bibr6-20552076221113204","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Global cost of unadressed hearing loss and cost-effective interventions, https:\/\/apps.who.int\/iris\/handle\/10665\/254659 (2017, accessed 23 July 2021)."},{"key":"bibr7-20552076221113204","unstructured":"World Health Assembly. Prevention of deafness and hearing loss, http:\/\/apps.who.int\/gb\/ebwha\/pdf_files\/WHA70\/A70_R13-en.pdf?ua=1 (2017, accessed 22 July 2021)."},{"key":"bibr8-20552076221113204","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/14992027.2021.1883197"},{"key":"bibr9-20552076221113204","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/16549716.2017.1289736"},{"key":"bibr10-20552076221113204","unstructured":"National Academies of Sciences. 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The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity, https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/r\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/GSMA-State-of-Mobile-Internet-Connectivity-Report-2020.pdf (2020, accessed 18 June 2021)."},{"key":"bibr12-20552076221113204","author":"Frisby C","journal-title":"Telemed J E Health"},{"key":"bibr13-20552076221113204","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1357633X15610721"},{"key":"bibr14-20552076221113204","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2471\/BLT.18.227728"},{"key":"bibr15-20552076221113204","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/14992020400050004"},{"key":"bibr16-20552076221113204","first-page":"1","author":"Van den Borre E","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Audiol"},{"key":"bibr17-20552076221113204","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/AUD.0000000000000775"},{"key":"bibr18-20552076221113204","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3109\/14992027.2016.1172269"},{"key":"bibr19-20552076221113204","volume":"5","author":"Cheung KL","year":"2019","journal-title":"Digit Health"},{"key":"bibr20-20552076221113204","unstructured":"GSMA. 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