“Hearing damage is irreversible,” says Lisanne de Regt. It can lead to tinnitus. This is a medical term for ringing in the ears, such as a high-pitched tone, noise, buzzing, ticking or pounding. Or hyperacusis, a medical term used for oversensitivity to normal everyday sounds. “This can lead to communication, concentration and sleep problems. In addition, hearing damage can negatively affect pupils’ academic performance and therefore have a major impact on the rest of their lives.”

Little attention, major consequences

“Unfortunately, it still affects far too many young people,” Lisanne explains. “We do not know whether the problem is actually increasing. We have our suspicions, but we cannot substantiate them. There is no systematic screening. Babies have a hearing test, then another one around group 1/2, and after that only when indicated. It is then completely abandoned, even though you always have your ears with you and expose them to all kinds of sounds. Hearing damage builds up slowly, and when the bucket is full, problems arise. Only then do people look at the cause, which is often difficult to determine.”

“We know that 27 to 45 percent of young people listen at high volumes (70 percent or louder),” Lisanne explains. It is therefore important to make pupils in both primary and secondary education more aware of the importance of healthy hearing. That is why VeiligheidNL has an online hearing check. The test was developed by audiologists and can be taken free of charge on their website. “It assesses how well you can understand words in noise. It is not a diagnostic test, but it is an excellent, accessible way to check your hearing.”

A hearing-friendly school environment

Because young people are not sufficiently aware of the importance of healthy hearing, it is important to pay attention to this. The Hearing theme raises awareness among pupils, teachers and parents and helps prevent permanent damage. “It is important that this information is provided, preferably starting in group 1. Through play, pupils learn about the importance of their ears and the effects of sound.”

It is also important to make it a genuine part of everyday life in the school building, Lisanne emphasises. “Talk to the team and develop a policy. This creates support within the team. For example, make agreements about sound levels during school events. Sometimes there are enormous speakers at a school party, with pupils standing right next to them. Unfortunately, there is still a great deal of ignorance.” A hearing-friendly school environment also includes a healthy working environment for physical education teachers. “They should be protected under occupational health and safety legislation, but in practice we still see far too little of this. And that is despite the fact that gym halls echo terribly. That is very harmful to hearing.”

In practice, Lisanne sees that schools often think it is a very complex subject. “They have no experience with it at all. That is why, in collaboration with ENT doctors, we developed a free information test, which they can request from us at no cost. In this way, we hope to remove that reluctance.”

Getting started with hearing

Would you like to make pupils more aware of the importance of healthy hearing and what they can do to keep their hearing healthy? Then get started with the information and tips on Gezondeschool.nl. Go to the theme for your type of education:

Source: Gezonde School.