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Hearing loss among inmates of a juvenile correctional facility in Nigeria


Habeeb Kayodele Omokanye
Adekunle David Dunmade
Mosunmola Florence Tunde-Ayinmode
Muhammed Mubashir Uthman
Musbau Olawale
Foluwasayo Emmanuel Ologe

Abstract

Background: Good hearing is essential to learning and rehabilitation of adolescent and young adults in juvenile correctional facilities. Hearing screening programme is not commonly in place for this incarcerated group.


Objective: To evaluate hearing threshold among inmates of a juvenile correctional facility in Nigeria and compare pattern of hearing loss with a control group.


Methods: A total of 135 inmates and equal number of age and sex matched control responded to interviewer-administered questionnaire followed by otoscopy and audiometry.


Results: Mean age of inmates was 19 years ±2.0, while that of control was 18yrs ± 2.5. (p-value 0.077). Four (3%) inmates had bleeding from the ear; otoscopy revealed traumatic tympanic membrane perforation in 2(1.5%) of them. Prevalence of hearing loss was 19.2% and for disabling hearing loss it was 1.4%. Conductive hearing loss was the most common 33(24.4%). Inmates had consistently worse mean hearing thresholds than controls across all frequencies tested in both ears (p-value <0.001).


Conclusion: Hearing loss is prevalent among inmates of juvenile correctional facility. Rehabilitation programme should be balanced with detail attention to health needs of inmates; including pre-admission and periodic hearing screening.


Keywords: Hearing loss, juvenile offender; audiometry; incarceration; correctional facility; adolescent.


Journal Identifiers


eISSN: 1729-0503
print ISSN: 1680-6905