Apple launched the ability to track your noise level exposure on the Apple Watch back in 2019. The company also launched three clinical research studies next to the function, including one to investigate hearing health. Now, a little over a year later, Apple is sharing some preliminary results in time for World Trial Day.
For the Apple Hearing Study, Apple partnered with the University of Michigan to look into it how daily sound exposure can affect hearing over time. In an information session, dr. Rick Neitzel of the University of Michigan noted that the ‘thousands’ of study participants volunteered their data and in addition to regular questionnaires, they also participated in regular hearing tests. The study also looked at exposure to noise from headphones and was not necessarily limited to data collected from the Apple Watch. Data on headphone exposure, for example, can also be collected from the iPhone and iPad. That said, the researchers were able to get more detailed data from watch users, including environmental noise, heart rate, variable heart rate and exercise.
According to Neitzel, it is a intriguing takeaway of the early data is that one out of five participants experienced a type of hearing loss, according to World Health Organization guidelines, and that there appears to be a link between chronic environmental noise and cardiovascular disease. Also, almost 50% of the participants currently work or have worked before, in a hard workplace. Another surprising thing was that despite covid-19 exclusions, many participants still had high environmental noise exposure (although overall exposure to noise was cut in half). About 10% of the participants were also professionally diagnosed with hearing loss, but despite the diagnosis, 75% of them do not use assistance such as hearing aids or cochlear implants. Another 10% have an average exposure to headphones exceeding the WCED limits, and 20%% had daily exposure above the daily WHO limits. Another sobering finding was that 25% regularly experienced a sound in the ears tinnitus several times a week and that nearly 50% have not had their hearing tested by a professional in at least a decade.
The findings are actually quite impressive when you consider the scale and the detailed data what can be worn with just passive healthmonitoring. A big problem that can occur with health research is that the findings may come from a limited sample that may not be an indication of the general population or have an inherent bias (i.e., not enough BIPOC subjects, etc.). With wear, you can actually do ongoing research with a much, much larger section of the population. The Apple Heart Studyfor example, managed to get 400,000 participants within eight months, making it the largest virtual study to date.
G / O Media can get a commission
Neitzel said that he believes that the participants in the Apple Hearing Study is generally accurate representative of the general population. He also noted that access to location data, for example, could help researchers look for more esoteric patterns. For example, researchers may now ask questions such as, “Is hearing loss worse in an area with more air pollution?”
The Apple Hearing Study is still ongoing, and Neitzel noted there is more to learn. In particular, Neitzel pointed out to understand how typical exposure to noise and listening patterns for headphones can affect future hearing health, including tinnitus, as well as to further investigate the link between hearing and cardiovascular health. In the meantime, it’s probably a good idea if we all just lower the volume on our headphones.